Accidents Will Happen
by ncislove
Summary: Not all accidents are accidents.
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Gibbs/Abby.  
Rating: FR-18 for eventual smut. I think ;)  
Spoilers: None that I can think of.  
Practical Stuff: I don't own them, nor am I making money off of them.  
Summary: Not all accidents are accidents.

Hey Guys, so this was my NaNo project - the idea is to write a 50,000 word novel (er, fic in my case) in a month. This fic currently sits at 52K and it's not quite finished - trying to figure out the ending. But I thought I'd start posting now as 50K is a lot, and I'm certain I will finish long before I get to post the ending.

* * *

"I thought we had dinner plans?" Gibbs pushed into Fornell's office, the irritation evident in his voice. He had expected to arrive at home and find dinner waiting for him – it was Fornell's turn to figure out dinner. Over the past few months they had come up with an unspoken agreement to have dinner together a few times a month. It gave them the chance to discuss cases, get an outsiders point of view and at the same time unwind from the stresses of work. He hadn't expected to get a call while en route, asking to go to the FBI office instead. "Why here?"

"Say hello to Jethro, Em." Fornell gave a meaningful glance over Gibbs' shoulder at his daughter.

"Hello Uncle Gibbs."

The harsh scowl faded from Gibbs face as he turned toward the eight year old and dropped down on one knee and offered his hand. "Hello Emily. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm quite busy." Emily smiled and gave his hand a firm shake. "I've been bumped up a level in ballet and mom has started me in piano and tennis."

"Ballet, piano _and_ tennis?" Gibbs asked. "That sure sounds like a lot."

"Now you know where your alimony is going." Tobias muttered under his breath.

Gibbs glanced back over his shoulder at Fornell and then returned his attention to Emily when she spoke. "It is a lot, but mom said I need to keep busy. Says it'll look good when I get to jr. high, high school and college. Plus, it'll help me to become a lady."

"A lady, huh?" Gibbs grinned. Kelly had wanted to take up soccer because she was tired of wearing a skirt all day to school. He had said no, worried that she would get hurt.

"_Oh Jethro, she just wants the chance to get dirty now and again. These girls are eight, they don't know how to do a sliding tackle at this age. She'll be fine."_

Reluctantly he had then said yes, and he'd gotten to see her play a game before he left for Kuwait. She'd scored a goal, and her team had won. On the way home they'd stopped for ice cream and she promised him she'd win a big trophy by the time he was home again. She'd gotten that trophy just days before she died. He still had it tucked away in his closet.

"Yes, a lady." Emily repeated. "But it keeps me really, really busy. So the rest of my time I focus on my homework. Mommy says I must keep up on my school work. If I do well all year, then I can get a kitten this summer."

"That would be fun." Gibbs stood and touched his finger to the tip of her nose, making her giggle before she moved back to her father's desk to sit down. Gibbs nodded and Fornell joined him closer to the door. "Why is she here?"

"You know Diane, making life difficult."

Gibbs tried to suppress a grin. He really tried.

Fornell rolled his eyes at the obvious _I told you so_ look on Gibbs' face. "She's got Em signed up for all these things, and it's cutting into my custody time. But I can't ask her to quit, look at her, she loves all these activities. Today Diane had a late meeting so she offered me the extra few hours with her. I couldn't say no."

"No, no I guess you couldn't." Gibbs glanced back at the young girl who had returned her focus to her homework. "She really has that much school work?"

"Yeah, I can't believe the amount they've got already in second grade."

Gibbs shook his head, and then changed subjects. "What've you got?"

"One of my agents pulled O'Brian up on bank security tape an hour before my M.E. listed for time of death. That's a lot of ground to cover for O'Brian to be the killer."

"Maybe if you had let Ducky do his work, we'd have a more specific time of death."

"Damnit Jethro," Fornell cast an apologetic smile towards Emily when she looked up from her paper. "I know your people are top notch. Doesn't mean mine aren't just as good."

Gibbs crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What else you got?"

"I sent some DNA to Abby an hour or two ago, she should have results in tomorrow morning."

Gibbs looked at his watch and frowned. It was just after nine and if Abby had been sent DNA within the last few hours he had no doubt that she was still in her lab processing the DNA Fornell had sent her. "Anything else?"

"My team is working on some security footage, but until we've got the DNA back, there isn't much we can do. I can't pull people in to question if I have no solid proof of anything. I'd prefer to have something to go off of."

Gibbs tense and then relaxed, remembering Emily was still in the room. If Fornell had just allowed NCIS to take the lead, the evidence, the interviews, it could all be done in one place. He hated sharing cases with the FBI despite the fact that he and Tobias were sometimes friends. "I'll be in touch tomorrow."

Gibbs smiled fondly at Emily and then slipped out the door. He lived 20 minutes from the FBI headquarters, but he drove past his house, driving an extra 15 minutes to get back to NCIS. He gave a nod and flashed his ID to security on the yard and parked in his usual spot. As predicted, the lights in the lab were still on as he passed by the window to her underground sanctuary. Security inside the building wasn't surprised to see him again; he showed up at all times of the day and night, and they greeted him with a smile and a little small talk. Gibbs made it a habit to be on a first name basis with security, and it usually got him a quicker response when he needed someone escorted out, or on the more than one occasion he'd put security detail on Abby's lab.

As he rode the elevator down, he briefly wondered if he should have had a Caf-Pow! with him, but he wasn't there to get Abby to work harder, he wanted her to load the samples and then leave, preferably to get some sleep. She put in enough hours as it was, she didn't need Fornell pressuring her into more.

Abby turned to face him the moment he stepped inside the lab. "I thought I heard the elevator." She greeted him with a big smile.

"Whatcha doin' here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Gibbs leaned his hip against the evidence table. "I asked you first."

Abby gave a playful smile. "Askers go first."

"Abby," he warned gently.

"Oh come on Gibbs, we had this whole playful banter thing going on, it was kind of fun. You know why I'm here. I got some DNA to run for Fornell for the case _you_ agreed to share. What's with that? Since when do you share?"

Gibbs grunted and shifted on his feet causing Abby to laugh. "Since the director didn't give you a choice. That's what I figured."

"You almost done?"

"I think so. I've got all the samples loaded, but they need a good eight to twelve hours to run, so I was just-" Abby waved back at her computer. "You know."

"You were just heading home."

"I'll get there eventually."

"No, you'll get there now. You're of no use if you're dead on your feet in the lab tomorrow."

Abby sighed. "You only love me for my forensic skills. I'm crushed." She sent a smirk over her shoulder at him as she turned and began to switch off the machines she wasn't using.

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"I'm crushed, Gibbs. Absolutely crushed." She collected her coat and her purse.

Gibbs held out his arm for her and smiled warmly when she accepted. "You know how I feel, Abbs."

"An extra large Caf-Pow! on my desk first thing in the morning might convince me." Abby slipped her arm through his and grinned when he kissed the side of her head. She followed willingly as he started walking, leading her out towards the elevator.

He walked her to her car and watched as she buckled up before shutting the door for her. He watched as she gave a little wave and pulled out of her space before he turned to get into his own car. Satisfied she was going home for more than just a few hours of sleep, he headed home to spend a few hours with his boat.

The music in Abby's lab was deafening and both men ducked their heads when the doors slid open. Fornell wasn't sure where the power button was so instead he gave a quick tug on the power cord, bathing the lab in silence.

"Hey!" Abby turned to face them. "I was listening to that!" Her frown faded when she saw the Caf-Pow! Gibbs was holding. "That for me?"

"It's not for him." Gibbs nodded at Fornell as he pushed the large cup into her hands. Fornell had offered to buy Abby her morning Caf-Pow! but Gibbs had disregarded his offer. As far as Gibbs was concerned, he was the only one to buy her Caf-Pow!. And on the rare occasion he sent one of his team down with her favorite drink, it was still on his tab.

"Well, you're just in time, as usual." Abby took a quick sip and then placed the drink on her desk. "He's always down here at just the right time, it's like he-"

"Abby." Gibbs had her back on track with a stern look.

"Right, back on track. I've been running the various DNA samples all night, and they must've had a party in that office, because there were a billion different DNA samples. Except for O'Brian. Unless he's got a magic eraser that erases just his DNA and finger prints, he's telling the truth, he wasn't in that office. I did find finger prints to a Colonel Shelly everywhere. I'm going back and trying to see if I can find a match to Shelly with all the other stuff we've got, but that might take awhile."

"How long?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, if you want a thorough job…"

"I want a thorough job." Fornell interrupted.

"At least until tomorrow – hey guys, don't give me that look." They shared the same look of irritation over the delay, but Abby wasn't about to back down. "We've got box after box of evidence down in the evidence locker. We've got two cars impounded and thirteen weapons. It won't take long for me to get it all started, but that's a lot of information for the system to go through. You can't rush science, Fornell. Gibbs knows that, it's about time you learn that too."

"Of course, Gibbs knows all."

Gibbs gave Fornell and 'I-told-you-so' look and then smiled at Abby. "Call me if you get anything."

"Don't I always?"

Both men turned and headed out the door. "You know, things would've been better organized if you'd just have let Abby have all the evidence from the beginning."

"You really want to start with me, Jethro? I've apparently got all day now while I wait for results. So please, start something."

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee to hide the smirk. They both knew Fornell's lab wasn't big enough to handle the amount of evidence or the time-line in which they were trying to work. But Fornell had been adamant that it was an FBI case – FBI had been the first to respond – despite the fact that the victim was a Marine.

In the end, Director Vance had called it a pissing match between Fornell and Gibbs and gave FBI lead on the case as long as Gibbs and his team were involved. Fornell had strutted proudly from the office until he realized that he was in over his head, and that the stand in for his regular forensic scientist was no match for Abby's skill.

At the end of the day, Gibbs sent his agents home to get some rest. They'd been working until late each night the past few weeks, wrapping up old cases, finishing paper work, and lately they'd been hovering over Fornell's agents to try and figure out who had murdered their Marine. Once the squad room was empty, Gibbs closed down his computer and filed away the papers he'd been reading. He hadn't seen Abby pass by, and she rarely, if ever, left without saying goodbye. He found her on the floor in her lab, boxes surrounding her as she labeled the last of the evidence. She had managed to sort through all of the evidence and had been running prints, DNA, and blood samples as quickly as she could.

"Almost done here?"

"Yeah, I've got the last of the samples loaded for the night. I just need to finish labeling these and then get the place somewhat cleaned up for the janitor to do the floor tonight. Another hour at the most."

"Need a ride home tonight?" Abby had been trying to reduce her carbon footprint by taking the bus to work whenever she could and because it wasn't horribly out of the way, Gibbs would often give her a ride if they ended up working late. "I can wait," Gibbs offered.

"Nah, with the early hours I've been working, I've been driving in lately. Thanks though," she smiled up at him.

"Don't stay too late, Abbs. If I have to come back to drag you out of the lab, I won't be very happy."

"You wouldn't call to check up on me?" She gasped and feigned insult when he fixed her with a stern look. "You would! Okay, well, give me two hours max. I should be out within the hour, but you never know when a computer dings or a machine beeps. So maybe three…"

"Abby. You've got two hours. Max."

Abby nibbled her lower lip and glanced around the lab.

"Security is more scared of me than you, so no funny business," Gibbs added.

"Okay… alright, no funny business. Out within two hours." She gave a clumsy salute.

"Good girl." With Abby still on the floor, a kiss on the cheek wasn't doable so instead he reached down to tug on one of her pigtails before heading for the door.

"Bye!" She called at his retreating form.

* * *

Gibbs wasn't surprised to see Fornell's car parked out front and the lights on in his house. He could hear his friend moving around the kitchen, and the smell of what he was cooking hit his nose immediately.

"Wow, you cook? We usually do take-out. If you keep this up, I might start to think you're trying to woo me." Gibbs peeked in the pot on the stove. "What are we having."

Fornell wiped his hands on the towel he had tucked into his belt. "Fettucine Carbonara, it's an old family recipe, but I haven't made it in awhile. Just want to make sure I've still got it.

Gibbs smirked. "What's this one named?" The only reason Fornell would be honing his cooking skills would be because there was a new woman in his life.

Fornell hesitated a moment. "Sharon. And for your information, she's nothing like Diane."

Gibbs nodded, "Probably a good thing." He collected two plates and silverware for the both of them and put them on his dining table and then went to the refrigerator. "Beer?"

"Yeah."

Gibbs uncapped two beers and carried them to the table and was followed by Fornell with the pasta bowl in one hand and a salad in the other. They dished up silently and started in, looking up briefly after the first bite.

"S'good."

"Yeah."

They tucked back into their dinners, enjoying a hot meal and relaxed company, even if they weren't each other's first choice in dinner companion. It wasn't something that they did often, but occasionally they got tired of eating alone and despite the fact that they worked for different agencies, they had more than enough in common to talk about -whenever they actually talked.

Halfway through their meal, both men startled when the front door swung open.

"I just wanted to prove that I'm within my two hour time limit and I'm headed – _oh_ – hey Fornell. I didn't realize…." Abby hesitated in the doorway, her hand hovering over the door knob.

"Abby," Fornell nodded politely.

"Abbs," Gibbs' chair scraped across the wooden floor as he stood up to greet her.

"Well I'll let you guys get back to…" Abby stopped when Gibbs began pulling her jacket off and then hung it on a hook by the door.

"Plenty of food. Fornell isn't half bad. Have a seat."

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt, you know, NCIS and FBI cooperation."

"Sit down, Abby. Jethro doesn't hold conversation very well." Fornell used his foot to push out an extra chair.

Abby laughed and Gibbs melted just a little at the twinkle in her eye. "You want a beer?"

"Please. And what do you mean he doesn't hold conversation very well?" She smiled up at Gibbs when he set a plate and silverware in front of her. "So what'd you make? Smells good."

Gibbs found it endearing that Abby was always sticking up for him, even when she knew Fornell was joking. Everyone knew that Gibbs didn't talk much, Abby included, but she never sat back when he was being picked on.

"Fettucine Carbonara. It's an old family recipe. I remember my mother making it every weekend." Fornell passed the bowl to her.

"You guys sure I'm not interrupting anything? Seems like you two had a little date-thing going on." Abby dished up her pasta and salad with a grin.

"Nah, Tobias isn't my first choice in date. Good thing you showed up."

"I'd hate to be a third wheel."

"Understandable." Gibbs looked at Fornell with a satisfied smirk. "Why didn't you bring _your _lady, Tobias?"

Abby preened silently under the implication that she was Gibbs' lady. "She was busy."

"Tobias Fornell!" Abby momentarily forgot about Gibbs' suggestion she was his. "You're dating someone? I spent half the day talking to your agents and no one mentioned anything. I need details!"

"Good. I don't need them gossiping about my private life. No one gossips about his private life." Fornell nodded at Gibbs. "Yes we do, we just do it quietly and we keep it in the office. No offense, but your agents tend to be a little chatty. What's her name?"

Fornell looked up and eyed Gibbs before answering. "Sharon."

"Has Emily met her yet?" Fornell softened at the mention of his daughter. She adored Abby and on the few occasions they had met, Abby had made sure she felt included in the conversation and, much to Diane's dismay, had given Emily a temporary tattoo.

"They've met a few times. Em really likes her. We went bowling last weekend, and they really got the chance to talk. They have a lot of similar interests, so that's been helpful."

Abby's face lit up. "Awesome! Wait, what day is today? Aren't you supposed to have Emily this evening?"

"Diane's got her in a bunch of classes, so for the time being, my time has been limited. I could fight it, legally I have the right, but she's been enjoying them so I hate to cut into that time. And she's doing so well, just advanced to the advanced class in ballet."

"Awesome!"

"So I guess it's for the best, especially with how busy I've been, that she keeps her extra activities. I'm hoping that once things settle down a bit over at the FBI that things will change, or maybe I can take her to her classes. And maybe if things with Sharon are still going good…" Fornell shrugged. "I guess we'll see where things go."

Abby couldn't help but feel hopeful for Fornell. He wasn't as torn and tormented inside the way Gibbs was, but he still deserved a happy, loving relationship and she hoped that this Sharon woman was the right one for him.

"Well, you cooked, you hosted. Only fair that I clean." Abby stood and started to gather plates.

"Sounds good to me." Fornell was content to sit back and watch Abby fuss over the two of them. "You don't have-"

"I know." Abby slapped Gibbs' hand away from his plate. "You boys can discuss whatever business you need to discuss."

"I should actually get going."

"You don't need to leave because of me. I had no intention of staying long, I just needed to prove it to Gibbs that I didn't spend all night in my lab. I'll stay out of your way."

"No, really, I need to run by the office and pick up a few things before heading home. I was waiting on a fax from Colonel Shelly's mother. Have a good night, Abby. Thank you for the extra company."

"Night Fornell." Abby waved the dish rag at him, laughing when the soapy water splashed her in the face. "I should have that evidence finished for you by ten."

"See you in the morning. Night Jethro." Fornell picked up his jacket and then headed for the door.

"You two do this often?" Abby asked over her shoulder, "your little bro-mance?"

"Our _what_?" "Bromance. You know bro's before hos… um, never mind. It's just… it's nice to know that you guys, you have each other. You're friends."

"We're not friends." Gibbs stepped up beside her and took the clean dish from her hand to dry it.

"Clearly."

Gibbs grunted and grabbed another dish to dry.

"Well, whatever you are. I'm just glad you don't spend _every _evening under your boat. And hey, look at it this way; you've got leftovers for dinner tomorrow." Abby pointed to the extra pasta that still needed to be put away in the fridge.

"Who knew he could actually cook."

"It's only one dish; let's not put him up on a pedestal quite yet."

"Invite him over for a few more free meals before placing judgment?"

"Exactly."

"You sure are a sly fox, you know that? Using the FBI for a few free meals. Be sure to let me know the next time he's cooking for you."

"You could come over tomorrow and help me finish off the leftovers. I promise I'm good at heating things up in the microwave." Gibbs gave a little shrug. He didn't want to appear too eager for her to come over, but at the same time he was rather hopeful. He enjoyed spending time with Abby outside of work, and the conversation had been easy between the three of them. It didn't happen often enough, but the few times they did have dinner together, just the two of them, it was always enjoyable – never an awkward moment between them.

"Two nights in a row. If I didn't know better, I would think you were sweet on me, Agent Gibbs." Abby handed him another dish to dry.

"What time should I come over?"

"I think that'll depend on how things go at work."

"I know," Abby sighed. "I'm just so ready to be done with this case."

"Me too, Abbs. Me too."

* * *

TBC…

** Sorry this was deleted/reposted. There was some issues with the text.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!_ Hey Fornell! Guess what?" Abby accepted the Caf-Pow! but rather than take a moment for a sip, she set it on her desk and moved to the evidence table. She looked at them, waiting for a response, but when all she got was a blank stare, she continued. "I pulled evidence from just about everything, I've been here since five, all this evidence was out of control, but I-"

"Abby, the short version, please." Fornell interrupted.

"Right. So I found a glove print on the gun used to kill Shelly. Then, when digging through all the evidence, I found a glove in one of the trash bags. I tested the leather print and it matched. So I dug around the inside and found some DNA. Care to guess who it matched? Probably not. It matched Lt. Michaels. So not only do you have proof that he was holding the gun, but there is gunpowder residue on the glove. He pulled the trigger."

"Thank you!" Fornell clasped his hands together in thanks and then turned to glare at Gibbs. "I suppose you want your guys to bring him in?"

"Nah, you can bring him in. I just want to have a little chat with him in interrogation."

"No." Fornell's hands went to his hips. "No, this is _my_ case. I get to break him. Our directors agreed that I was lead on this case."

"You couldn't even run this case. You think I'm going to sit back and let this guy walk because you can't follow through and break him?" Gibbs shot back.

"Hey!" Abby threw up her hands. "What are we, ten? You guys can work together; I've seen you do it before."

Fornell shrugged and turned towards the door. "Have David and DiNozzo haul him in. I guess we can work something out."

Gibbs followed him out the door. "I'm not sitting out while you interrogate."

"Yeah, yeah," Abby heard as the two men headed for the elevator. "We'll figure something out. Maybe bad cop, good cop."

"Good work, Abbs." Abby praised herself, mimicking Gibbs' voice. They had been so caught up in who'd get to break the suspect they'd forgotten about the fact that she'd been able to do the work of both labs.

"Hey Abbs?" Gibbs stepped back in the lab. He'd almost made it to the elevator when he realized they'd been too concerned about who would do the talking to thank Abby for her hard work.

"Yeah?"

"Good work. Dinner at seven."

"Great! See you at seven." Abby perked up.

"Go home. Relax." Gibbs stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You've worked more than enough the past few weeks. No one should be this tense." He massaged her tense shoulder muscles, pushing his thumbs in just the right spot.

Abby let out a little sigh of pleasure before she could stop herself.

"Go home, Abbs. I'll see you at seven." Gibbs gave one last squeeze and then left. He was glad to have the elevator to himself for a few minutes to compose himself. He knew he was walking a tightrope when it came to his close relationship with Abby. There was that fine line of personal and professional relationship, and every time he resolved to keep their relationship on the professional side, she'd do something to screw up his plans like show up at his house or ask him to bowl with her and the nuns. And then he'd be right back where he started, wanting to involve her more and more on the personal side of life.

"See you then!"

* * *

"Gibbs?"

"In here." Gibbs called from the kitchen.

"Did you see this when you got home? It was tucked into the screen door." Abby held up a small white envelope.

"No. I didn't." Gibbs reached for it, but Abby held it just out of reach. "Hey!"

"Maybe… Maybe you should open it outside. I mean, you never know what…"

Gibbs softened his look at the instant panic that swept across her pretty face. "No one has sent me the plague, Abby." Although he didn't look worried he took a few steps away from her to slide his finger under the seal and carefully open the letter.

"Well..?"

Gibbs smiled. "Fornell dropped it off. Emily has a ballet recital and I've been invited." He held up a pink invite with a child's writing on the inside.

"Oh." Abby let out a sigh of relief. "He couldn't have given it to you earlier?"

"Maybe Emily wanted to drop it off. I've only been home twenty minutes. I probably just missed them." He handed it to Abby. "See, no white powder."

Abby shot him a glare and took the card.

Gibbs gave her pigtail a little tug, only satisfied when the corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile and then returned to finish heating up dinner.

"Just because it's Fornell, doesn't mean its safe." She stuck out her tongue, more irritated that he made her smile when she was semi-irritated with him than the fact that it could have been something dangerous.

"True, though I suppose the food is safe since he ate it yesterday."

"You think you'll go?" Abby followed him into the kitchen and put the invite on the fridge, using the magnet that held up the take-out menu for a local Chinese place.

"Maybe. If we haven't caught an important case." Gibbs hesitated a moment. "It says plus one, you want to come?"

"With you?" Abby's eyes lit up, and Gibbs pretended not to notice how happy she sounded.

"If you didn't already have plans for next Saturday."

"No," Abby shook her head. "No plans. I'd love to tag along if you don't think Fornell will mind."

"He won't mind. Grab a couple beers." Gibbs nodded at the fridge before carrying the steaming plates of pasta to the table.

Dinner was easy, as Gibbs expected. Although they talked about work, it wasn't about their most recent cases; it was about old cases, ones they wished they could've solved sooner, with less bloodshed. They talked about her family and his father.

He found it endearing that Abby was so curious about Jack and how he ran the store, but once he found out that Abby had spent much of her childhood in her uncle's small country shop, he understood her curiosity. He didn't like to talk about his childhood much, but he indulged her curiosity by telling her stories of helping his father in the store.

* * *

Gibbs was taken aback to see Abby's so toned down when he picked her up at three on Saturday. He didn't know much about women, but he had three exes so he knew a thing or two. "You look nice."

Abby looked down at her dark jeans and her simple red shirt. "Thanks. I figured I'd better keep it simple if it's a ballet recital."

Gibbs gave a little shrug. "You would have been fine with whatever you decided." He was more concerned about her hair. It wasn't often that he saw it down around her shoulders, and seeing it now, he itched to reach out and tangle his fingers in her hair.

He was surprised that she sat so quietly as they drove to the recital hall, watching the world pass by out the window. It wasn't common that Abby was content to sit quietly, but she wasn't giving off any signs of stress, so he didn't worry - he could always tell when Abby wasn't feeling well, or if she was sad or mad.

They arrived fifteen minutes before the show, and saw Fornell waiting around outside. "Jethro," he greeted, "Abby."

"Hope you don't mind that I tagged along."

"Not at all. Emily will be happy to see you. I spoke to her a few minutes ago and she's very excited."

"I bet you're proud." Abby glanced over at Gibbs. She knew he had to be struggling with a bit of jealousy. Emily was the same age that Kelly had been when she passed away, and Gibbs had missed out on recitals and school events. Even though it didn't show, she knew he had to be thinking of what he missed out on.

"Very proud."

They filed into the auditorium and found seats just off to the side. It didn't take long, an hour at the most, and Gibbs and Abby stayed to congratulate Emily on a job well done.

"Abby!" Emily came flying towards her, enveloping her in a big hug. "I didn't know you would be here!"

"I was just shocked that I wasn't invited and Gibbs felt so bad, so he said I could come with him," Abby teased.

"I didn't know you'd want to come! I'll invite you myself next time so you don't have to come with silly Uncle Gibbs." Emily giggled when Gibbs made silly face at her.

"Oh thank goodness. It was rough to sit next to him for an hour, but I thought it'd be rude to sit by myself." Abby smiled up at Gibbs and winked.

"Jethro, Tobias." Diane strolled up; obviously ignoring the fact that Abby was standing right there. "And what wonderful stories are you sharing today?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Clearly Diane still blamed him for her divorce from Fornell. She had yelled and screamed that he had put poison in Tobias' mind, turning him against her. "Diane," Gibbs said coolly.

"Sweetie, why don't you go and get your bag from my car. You don't want to forget your school books. I'm sure daddy will be very busy tomorrow, so we want to make sure you can go over your school work if he doesn't have time for you." Diane handed her daughter her car keys and then shooed her along.

"I'm not working this weekend, Diane." Fornell crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You know that."

"Well, one can never predict when the FBI calls you for duty. You always go running."

Fornell swallowed a harsh comeback. "Things are changing around the FBI. I'm a little more in control of my schedule these days."

"Ah, so now that we're divorced you've got time on the weekends, but when I only asked for one day a week that you'd be home for dinner, you couldn't make it happen."

"You know I was working my way up the ranks back then, Diane. The FBI isn't just some desk job."

"I know, your job was always better than mine. I should have understood," she mocked.

"Look, I don't want to-" Fornell started, but stopped when Diane stated again.

"No, no you didn't want to do anything to save our marriage."

"Don't start, Diane. It's the same argument over and over again the past… ever since we first got married."

"You let him fill your head with lies and you decided to listen to your _friend _rather than your wife."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. At least she seemed to have moved on from directing her anger at him, now toward Fornell.

"Emily!" Abby saw the young girl walking up and didn't want to her to hear her parents arguing.

Tobias and Diane both shut their mouths and forced polite smiles. "You ready, hun?"

"Yes, daddy. Are we going to see Sharon this weekend?"

"I know she'd like to see you."

"I wish she could have come today."

Fornell glanced up at Diane. "She was busy this afternoon, but I know she wished she could have come to your recital today." It was half true – Sharon would have loved to have come along, but Fornell wasn't secure enough in their relationship to let Diane make a fool of herself in front of them.

"Well sweetie, mommy has to go. You call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, mom." Emily hugged her mother and then turned to Abby once Diane was several feet away. "Daddy promised me ice cream after my recital. Can you come? My dad will pay, of course."

Abby laughed and glanced up at Fornell. He smiled and gave a little nod. Even if she was a little unconventional, Abby was a pretty good role model for his daughter. He couldn't complain. "Well, in that case, I would love to join you for ice cream. Only, can I bring this guy along too? Gibbs might get cranky if he can't come along for ice cream too."

"Uncle Gibbs, would you like to come for ice cream, too?"

"Well, I don't know…" Gibbs toyed with the idea until Emily stomped her foot. "Abby says you'll be cranky if you don't come for ice cream."

"I guess."

"Plus, my dad will pay."

"How can I refuse that offer?"

"Come on, let's get going." Fornell lifted his daughter's bag to his shoulder and turned toward the car. "You only get one scoop," he directed at Gibbs.

"You don't mind, do you?" Abby asked as they got back into Gibbs car. "Going for ice cream with them?"

"Nah."

"Ok, good. I can't imagine what it must be like living with that woman. Poor girl."

"Not fun, I can attest to that."

Abby laughed. "I can't believe you both married the same woman."

"I didn't mind. It got her away from me."

"I find it more incredible that you two have remained friends."

"We're not friends."

"Right."

* * *

"I really like Sharon, dad. But I really like Abby too."

"They are both very nice. Sharon would like to come over for dinner tomorrow. Would you be okay with that?"

"Yes, daddy." Emily thought for a moment. "Do you work with Abby a lot?" Emily watched her father as they made the 10 minute drive to her favorite ice cream shop.

"No. Abby works for NCIS, so I only work with her when Uncle Gibbs and I share a case."

"Oh."

"Why?"

"I was just wondering."

Fornell focused on the road to keep from laughing. He could tell what his daughter was hinting at and not only was Abby not his type - he knew Gibbs had lay claim over her long ago. Even if Jethro wasn't sleeping with his forensic scientist, there was no way Gibbs put up with her sleeping with him. He never mentioned his observations to Gibbs – never asked why he was so protective of her, or why she was the closest thing to a real relationship he'd had the past eight years. He knew better than to try and get Jethro to open up about his private life, and he valued his own life enough to keep his mouth shut.

Fornell wasn't surprised to see Gibbs and Abby already there. Gibbs drove like a speed daemon on a good day, even when there wasn't a case involved.

"Abby!" Emily bounced ahead. "What kind of ice cream are _you_ going to pick?" She took Abby by the hand and led her inside.

"Emily likes her."

"Most everyone does." Gibbs nodded and smiled at the sight. Abby and Emily were an odd pair – the tall Goth, and the young girl in her leotard.

"She wanted to know if I worked with her often, if she'd be around more."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, I've no intentions of trying to poach your scientist."

"Tobias, why are you telling me this?"

"I'm just letting you know that you aren't the only one who appreciates Abby's company."

Gibbs hesitated as he stepped inside the ice cream shop. Of course he wasn't the only one to enjoy her company, everyone loved Abby. Gibbs shook off Fornell's comment, unsure if he wanted to read further into it – Fornell was seeing someone, so Gibbs was fairly certain he wasn't interested. And if he was trying to hint at something, Gibbs didn't want to hear it.

"What'd you order?" Gibbs stepped up beside Abby, resting his hand against her lower back as she reached out to accept her ice cream.

"Mint chocolate chip."

"With gummy bears," Kelly added.

"With gummy bears," Abby agreed.

Gibbs raised his brow and then ordered a scoop of vanilla. "Gummy bears? As if you need more sugar."

"What's not to love? Little gummies, shaped like bears. Mm, I'm a little bear and I'm red and gummy and taste so good!" Abby picked up a small red bear and squished it gently; imply it was talking before pushing it into Gibbs' ice cream.

Since the tables inside were full, once they all had ice cream in hand, the small group headed outside to stand and eat their ice cream. Emily told them all about how things worked backstage at her recital, and how her friend Nicole had been so nervous she'd felt sick to her stomach.

They stood around talking awhile longer before Emily was ready to go home. She was chilled from the ice cream and her leotard was getting itchy. As Emily buckled herself in the back seat, Fornell put her bag in the trunk of his car. He hesitated before getting in the driver's seat, looking over to where Gibbs was teasing Abby about something as they walked towards Gibbs' car. Abby was pretending to be mad at him, and Gibbs had wrapped his arm around her shoulders and was pulling her in close. He rolled his eyes and ducked into the car when Abby grinned before hitting Gibbs in the chest with her purse.

He didn't understand why his friend wouldn't just kiss her. It was obvious that's what she wanted.

* * *

Abby circled around to the passenger side of the car and froze. "Um, Gibbs?"

Gibbs was right behind her and pulled up just in time so that he didn't crash into her. "What – oh, a flat." He was surprised; he hadn't noticed any difference in driving when they drove from the recital to the ice cream shop. "It's okay, I've got a spare."

Abby tossed her purse in the car and then went to help Gibbs with the spare. As Gibbs set the spare in place, Abby rolled the original back toward the trunk and then lifted it in. She moved it around, looking it over to see if she could find the spot where it had leaked air – to see if it was a nail or something else they had driven over.

" Gibbs?" Abby leaned in closer to the tire for a better look.

"Yeah?" Gibbs used an old towel to wipe his hands.

"I don't think this was an accident." Abby pointed to an inch long gash in the tire.

Gibbs leaned in for a better look and sighed. "No, I don't think so either."

"Gibbs," Abby paled. "Is someone after you?"

"No. It's probably just some kids that are bored. Decided to mess with the nice car." He gave Abby's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll drop you off and then go get a new tire. Don't worry."

Abby glanced around the parking lot looking for anyone suspicious, "You think whoever did it is still around?"

"They're gone by now. Come on," Gibbs opened the passenger side door for her. "Let's go."

"You're sure," Abby asked as Gibbs slid into the driver's seat. "You're sure that it was just some kids or a random attack?"

"Abbs, if someone was going to follow me, they would have had more time to do this while we were at the recital. Why follow to an ice cream shop?" Gibbs put the car into drive and gave her knee a little squeeze before pulling forward out of their parking space. "It's alright."

As he drove back to her apartment, Gibbs wondered if there was anything he could say that would relax her. He watched from the corner of his eye as her fingers twisted nervously in her lap. Her lip was caught between her teeth and she looked as though she was trying to come up with an idea of what to do.

He pulled up to her apartment complex and pulled up beside her car. She didn't say anything as he got out to walk her to her door, but she glanced back at his car before they stepped inside her building. "You want to come in for some coffee?" Maybe if she kept him from leaving, she could keep him safe. The whole thing didn't sit right with her.

"No thanks, I'll be alright." She hated when he read her so easily. "I need to get to the shop to get a new tire before they close."

"Oh, right. Well, okay. Call me, you know, if you need anything or… whatever. And lock your door. Please."

"I'll be fine." Gibbs leaned in to kiss her cheek gently. "I'll see you Monday." He turned on his heel before he changed his mind, and left, smiling to himself when he heard her door shut and the deadbolt click.

It only took twenty minutes to get a new tire and have the others looked over. The shop offered to take his old tire off his hands, but he declined and headed home. He carried the flat down to the basement, pausing to lock his door when he heard her in his mind making the request. Down in basement, with the tire propped up a piece of ply wood over a couple of saw horses, Gibbs inspected it the best he could with a flash light. It was doubtful that he'd be able to pull any prints off of it, and he wasn't going to ask Abby to look at them – she was worried enough as it was.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Yeah, Fornell."

"I need a favor…"

* * *

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Thank so much for all the wonderful reviews!

Abby couldn't remember the last time she had been so relieved to see Gibbs already at work on Monday morning when she arrived at 0700 hours. _"Gibbs!" _She rushed forward and pulled him into a bone crushing hug before he could move around to sit behind his desk.

"Abby." He hugged her back and then moved her out of his way so he could sit down.

"So… everything was… okay?"

"Everything is fine, Abbs."

"And if it wasn't…"

Before Gibbs could ease her with his words and send her to her lab, the elevator dinged and Fornell stepped out. "I managed to pull a security tape from the bank across the street and, oh, good morning Abby."

"What security tape?" Abby crossed her arms defensively in front of her. She knew they weren't working any new cases, and if they had, they would've had her look over the footage, not Fornell. "Well?"

Fornell shifted uncomfortably. Gibbs hadn't said anything about keeping Abby out of the loop, but judging by the way Gibbs was avoiding Abby's gaze, he hadn't wanted to her to know.

"I had him checking some stuff for me."

"Oh. My. _God_." Abby turned and slapped at Gibbs arm. "You had him pull any security tapes that may or may not have had a view to the parking lot at the ice cream shop. _You_ said it was probably just some kids, but you think someone was after you. And _you,_" Abby turned to Fornell. "You don't hide things like this from me," she gestured around, "and the team."

"Abby-"

"No, Gibbs. Are you in danger? Is he in danger?" She poked her pointer finger against Gibbs' chest and glared at Fornell.

"The tapes didn't catch anything." Abby started to protest, but Fornell managed to cut her off. "I can send you the footage if you like, but honestly, I've had several people in the office look the footage over and the angle doesn't catch the rear half of his car, so whoever did it – if they even ruined the tire there – approached from the other side. And honestly, he could've driven over something."

"You don't get a gash in your tire when you drive over something. Not a gash like that." She stepped back away from Gibbs and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Abby, I was just double checking, so that I could promise you that everything was fine. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want you to worry over nothing, which you're doing a good job of now." Gibbs watched as her jaw tense and she shifted as she tried to figure out what to say next. When he saw her eyes start to well up, he knew he'd pushed her a little too hard. "Abby…"

"No. You know what, never mind. I get it. You're Leroy Jethro Gibbs, nothing bad will happen to you, it was probably just a sharp rock that you drove over that sliced your tire and whatever."

"Whoa." Tony, Ziva and McGee all stood speechless behind Fornell as Abby ripped into Gibbs and then turned on her clunky heels and headed for her lab.

Gibbs glanced at his watch. "Don't you guys have work to get to?" He barked at his agents. Even though they didn't have a hot case, they had mountains of paperwork to catch up on. This was promising to be a long, boring week if nothing new popped up.

"Well, like I told Abby. You can't see anything. If you'd like the footage…"

"No, no that's fine. Thank you."

"Welcome." Fornell nodded toward the back elevator that led to the lab. "Good luck."

Gibbs nodded his head in understand. "Yeah." _I'll need it._ He decided to give her a little time to cool off. Being in her lab would be good for her, he knew she was likely talking out her frustrations to her machines, and in some odd way he could understand. He might not speak out loud to his boats, but his basement served a similar purpose.

When he felt she'd had enough time to calm down, Gibbs went around the corner to the coffee shop and picked up a Caf-Pow! for her and then took the back stairs down to the her lab. The fresh air had cleared his mind, and he was ready to put their little tiff behind them. The only question was, was she ready? "Whatcha doing?" Gibbs stepped up beside Abby and gently placed a Caf-Pow!, a peace offering, on her work space.

"I'm processing some new DNA samples for a cold case that Johnson's team is looking over."

He half expected her to elaborate; she always did – except when she was mad. So he waited quietly, he could always wait her out. She wasn't a fan of silence, her choice in music could attest to that, but as the clocked ticked on, Gibbs grew concerned with the growing silence.

"Did you need something?"

_Ah, there it is._ "No, just came down with this," he gestured at the Caf-Pow! "And to see you."

"Thank you." Abby set her pipette down and took a long, slow drink.

"Are we okay, Abbs?"

"We were never _not_ okay, Gibbs. I'm allowed to be angry and upset, even with you. You went behind my back, you lied to me, and that hurt."

"I didn't lie," Gibbs held up his hand to stop her from interrupting him. "I still don't think someone is after me, I just realized that maybe if there was footage I could prove it was some kids, and then, if I was wrong, I could take appropriate action."

"I just," Abby thought for a moment, trying to figure out the right words. "I just don't want you to think that I can't handle things."

"I don't think that."

"You should've told me you were concerned."

"I'm not concerned." This conversation would never end.

"You could've stayed at my place." Abby ignored the fact that Gibbs said he wasn't concerned. If he hadn't been even slightly concerned he wouldn't have asked Fornell to pull security tapes.

Gibbs faltered momentarily at the idea of spending a night or two at Abby's apartment. At least when she spent the night at his place he could escape to the basement if he was overwhelmed by having her so close and trying to keep his hands to himself. "Abby," her took hold of her shoulders, gently directing her to face him. "I'm not worried. I just wanted to be able to show you what happened. If, for any reason I feel there is something to worry about, you'll be the first to know."

"Yeah, security detail, I know."

Gibbs didn't fight the grin. "Dinner tonight? I'll take you out to your favorite diner, the one on 7th that you're always talking about."

"Fine. As close to an apology as I'll get." She accepted the soft kiss to her cheek. "But I will be looking over that footage. I called Fornell and asked him to send it over after all. We all know the FBI is useless when it comes to stuff like that."

"I won't argue." Gibbs tugged on her pigtail and left the lab.

* * *

Abby slipped her arm through Gibbs' as they walked from the parking lot to Abby's favorite diner. She laughed at the look on Gibbs' face when he saw where they were headed.

"A fifties diner?"

"Yeah! Isn't it adorable? I almost wore my poodle skirt, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel about that. Though, we could've slicked your hair back. You have a comb? I think I've got-"

"Just because I was born in the _late_ fifties doesn't mean I remember them." Gibbs scolded lightly

"Old man," Abby teased.

Abby missed the brief frown the crossed his face. He knew that he was probably too old for her, that their flirting was just for fun, but it still hit him oddly in the heart. Like a sliver was lodged in his heart and only ever hurt if he moved – or spent time with her. He was well aware of her previous relationships with older men, she didn't hide it, but lately her dates had been a string of men around her own age, and she didn't seem interested in returning to her old habits.

He opened the door for her like a gentleman should and they waited quietly as the waitress cleaned off a table by the window and then handed them each a menu. Abby ordered a club, and Gibbs decided on a burger, and by the time their food arrived, Gibbs had forgotten all about her earlier comment and was laughing at her imitation of his each of the agent's on Fornell's team after having been roughed up a bit by Gibbs.

"Good," Gibbs chuckled. "Maybe it will make them think twice about wanting to work future cases with us."

"One can only hope."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they worked on their meal, but eventually Gibbs spoke. "About earlier, I wasn't trying to hide it from you; I just didn't want you to worry. You worry too much."

"That an apology?"

"No."

Abby sighed happily and shook her head. "Well, I accept it anyway."

"Good to know. You looked over the footage?"

"Yeah. Fornell was right. You can't see anything, and believe me, I tried."

The corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched up in a slight smile. He had no doubt she'd spent the majority of the day going over the footage from the 30 minutes they were at the coffee shop. "You'll stop worrying now?"

"You'll lock your door at night?"

Gibbs gave a little shrug.

"One of these days, Gibbs… one of these days."

"I thought we were supposed to be enjoying dinner, not arguing over if I lock my door or not."

"I'm not arguing, Gibbs. I'm just a concerned friend."

"I know, and I appreciate it. I will lock my door tonight."

"I'll drive by and check."

"I'd be a little hurt if you didn't." Gibbs teased. As much as he teased her, he understood her. Ever since Ari had taken aim at her in her lab, he'd done his best to keep her safe. At times he felt as though he wasn't able to do enough, but he always did what he could within his power. With his Mexican drama, he'd assigned her security it, but it hadn't been the first time she'd ended up with a security guard assigned to her 24 hours a day. She was mostly used to it, she complained, but she never asked him to back off. As much as it annoyed her, he was well aware that his over protectiveness kept her feeling safe. He was honored that he was the first person she went to when she felt uncomfortable.

But somewhere along the line, his over protectiveness of her had turned into a two way street, and she worried about him over every little thing. Two years prior, a snowball with a rock in it had flown through his window, and she had been convinced someone was going to kill him until a neighborhood kid had confessed, his mom standing a few feet behind him, her hands planted on her hips. Gibbs didn't have to shovel his driveway the rest of the winter after that.

"Want dessert?"

"No thanks, I'm full." Abby patted her stomach and Gibbs found himself wondering what it would be like to run his fingers along her soft skin. "Gibbs?"

"Ready to go?" Gibbs stuffed enough cash to cover the meal and a generous tip into the folder with their bill, and then held up Abby's jacket for her to slide into.

Abby slipped her arm around Gibbs' before he had the chance to offer, and he hid the expression that showed how pleased he was to have such a beautiful woman on his arm. He led her through the diner to the door and then dropped her arm to direct her, with a hand to her lower back, through the door and out on to the sidewalk.

They were only steps from the diner when Abby thought she heard her name being called. "Abby!" A little girl's voice rang out, and Abby turned to see Emily running towards her, Diane several steps behind. "Abby!"

"Hey Emily." Abby knelt down to give the girl a hug. "How are you? What are you up to?"

"I'm good! I just gone done with piano classes," she pointed at a music studio down the street. "Now we're heading home so I can finish my school work. What are you and Uncle Gibbs doing?"

Abby saw Diane visibly tense when Emily referred to Gibbs as 'Uncle Gibbs', but she said ignored it. "Piano? That's cool. Gibbs and I were just having dinner."

"Oh." Emily thought for a moment. "Maybe you could come have dinner with my dad and I?"

Abby had to bite her lip to contain the laugh when both Diane and Gibbs tensed.

"Emily, dear, you can't just invite people over like that." Diane grabbed her daughter's hand.

"But mommy, this is Abby. Sometimes she and daddy work together. But only when Uncle Gibbs and daddy work together."

"Very nice, dear. But we need to go." She gave a tight smile to Abby and looked at Gibbs. "Jethro."

"Bye Abby, bye Uncle Gibbs!"

Abby and Gibbs both waved and continued on towards his car.

"Really? You married that woman?" Abby gave him a look of disbelief.

"Not my smartest decision."

"Drugged?"

"I wish." The corner of Gibbs' mouth curved up in a grin.

"We've all had relationships like that, Gibbs. You aren't the only one."

Gibbs gave her a sharp look, silently encouraging her to elaborate. She'd only ever talked about relationships that had ended decently – save for Mikel Mawher, and only then because she had to.

Abby only shrugged. "Didn't get as far as getting engaged, but you know. Some people just suck you dry, emotionally, you know?"

"Something I need to worry about?" Gibbs stopped her from opening the passenger side door and gave her a serious look.

"What? Oh, no. Not at all. I'm just saying that you aren't the only one to have made bad relationship decisions. It's just sad when it involves a kid. Emily, she's a sweet girl. I feel bad for her."

Gibbs nodded and opened the door for her. He shut the door for her and circled around to get in the driver's seat. She looked quiet and subdued as he made his way back to her apartment. He pulled up in front of her complex and parked and gave her a serious look so she knew to wait for him to open her door.

"Thanks for dinner Gibbs, I had a good time."

"Me too, Abbs. Me too."

"You don't have to walk me up, but since you insist on being a gentleman anyway, want coffee?"

He followed her up, making sure she made it safely inside. He did want coffee, but he was tired and not at the top of his game. He easily envisioned pulling her against him and spending the evening curled up together on her couch, kissing her, touching her, their coffee long forgotten in the kitchen. "Maybe next time, Abbs." He kissed her on the cheek, a little closer to her lips than he originally planned and then backed away. "See you tomorrow."

He heard her sigh behind the shut door and he hurried back out to his car. She was getting to him lately, and he figured it had to do with the extra time they were spending together. As soon as he was home he headed up to the master bathroom for a cold shower. He wasn't going to indulge in his fantasies about her, he knew it would lead him nowhere, and he knew that once he started, it wasn't likely he'd be able to stop.

Fresh out of the shower, he changed into clothes reserved for woodworking in the basement. They were old, and ratty, and no matter how many times they were washed, they perpetually smelled like saw dust. He started a pot of coffee, and rinsed out his favorite old mug. He had his hand on the basement door when he heard a car door slam just outside his house.

Gibbs smiled when he heard clunky heels hurry up his front step, he watched as the door knob jiggled and then he heard heavy footsteps retreating. He shook his head before heading down to the basement. "Oh, Abbs."

* * *

For two weeks the team had nothing but one dead petty officer after another. Suicide, murder (strangulation by an ex-girlfriend), murder (GSW to the head – jealous lover of an ex-girlfriend), and two car accidents (unrelated), and now their most recent case involved a drowning in a bathtub. Gibbs was running low on sleep and even lower on patience.

"_Boss!" Tony jogged towards him across the front lawn of the crime scene. Clothes laid out on the bed makes it look like Petty Officer Hutson had planned on getting out of the bath again. I don't think it was suicide."_

"Ducky here yet?"

"Yeah, rolled up about five minutes ago. He and Palmer and doing what they do best. We've got a bunch of nosy neighbors though, what do you want me to with them?"

"Deal with them," Gibbs growled.

"Right, on it boss." Tony had no idea what he was supposed to do with 30 people milling about. The property was too large to be able to rope it off, but Gibbs didn't seem inclined to give him any hints.

"You on crowd control, Tony?" McGee had just barely been able to duck out of Gibbs way as they passed each other in the doorway.

"How'd you guess, McRockstar?" Tony rolled his eyes. He was good with smaller crowds, especially if there was a pretty lady or two that he could flirt with as a method of distraction. But these were neighbors, young and old – none of whom seemed overly concerned with the idea of murder, more interested in getting a photo or two, perhaps a video uploaded on YouTube. "Alright, alright. Everyone needs to back up. Go home people. Oh come on," Tony waved his hands in the air.

The sharp sound of Gibbs' high whistle blasted in his ear and Tony ducked. "Next person to step foot on this property will be hauled in and held on trespassing." The crowd backed off immediately and Gibbs waved Ducky and Palmer out of the house with the body. "Don't make me call in local LEO's to do your job next time, DiNozzo."

McGee grinned at him, but Tony got the last laugh when McGee earned the head-slap rather than Tony.

Three hours later, the ride back to the Navy Yard was quiet as their boss took them down D.C. streets at breakneck speeds. He didn't have to tell them that they needed to rush the evidence to Abby; they were out of the car, boxes of evidence in hand, the moment the car was in park.

Gibbs didn't follow his agents in; instead he headed around the corner to the coffee shop on the yard. His coffee was hot and strong, just the way he preferred it. He was just about to take a sip when someone rounded the corner and knocked his coffee cup with their elbow, sending scalding hot coffee down the front of his shirt, narrowly missing his face. _"Fuck!"_

"Sorry sir!" The guy didn't stick around, instead he ran off leaving Gibbs red in the face with anger. He crumpled his empty cup, tossing it into the trash with more force than necessary. His agents were smart enough not to comment as he stomped to his desk for a clean shirt, but then, at the last moment, Tony suggested a trip to Ducky, just in case.

"You three better have something for me by the time I get back." Gibbs didn't wait for an answer, but the sounds of his teams' fingers typing furiously on their keyboards echoed in the silent office.

He held his shirt away from his body, thankful to be wearing an undershirt under his polo. There was only a small section on his neck where the hot coffee had touched his skin directly, and it burned.

"Jethro, I don't have anything for you – oh – what happened?" Ducky pulled his gloves off. "Mister Palmer, I do believe you can begin without me. Have a seat at my desk, Jethro. I'll come have a look." Ducky pulled off his apron and went to wash his hands before he began to dig around his first aid kit. "A coffee accident, I presume."

Gibbs sat silently as he waited for the M.E. to approach, waiting until being told before lifting both shirts over his head.

"You were lucky to have been wearing two shirts, though it looks like a minor burn here on your neck. I'll clean it and then I've got a little something to put on it to help with the pain. It should be fine in a day or two."

The doors to autopsy opened automatically and Gibbs sighed when Abby strolled in. He wasn't in her direct line of view, but there was no way he could avoid her. "Hey Jimmy! I've got tickets to an event at my friend's gallery. It's a focus on the human body and all the art is macro photography from crimes scenes, wanna go? Hey Ducky, you can…" Abby trailed off when she spotted Gibbs sitting without his shirt as Ducky applied an ointment to his burn. "What happened?"

"I'd love to."

Abby ignored Palmers answer and walked over to Gibbs trying to hold eye contact and not trace his entire upper body with her eyes.

"Spilled coffee."

"On yourself?"

"Someone rounded the corner and walked into me. It's no big deal."

Abby was used to Gibbs brushing her worries aside so she looked to Ducky instead. "Is it a bad burn?"

"Heavens no, my dear. Only a small burn here along the neck line of his shirt. It'll be red for a day or two, but it will be fine." He handed Gibbs the tube of ointment. "Put this on a few more times today and tomorrow. It should help with the pain. I don't think it'll be sore past tomorrow."

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs pulled the clean shirt over his head and pocketed the ointment. "I'm fine, Abbs," he called out before stalking out of the lab.

"I've got a hinky feeling, Ducky."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's just… I don't know, I can't explain it."

"We all have those feelings now and again. Perhaps it's because we've got a full moon coming up. Traditionally…" Ducky wrapped his arm around Abby and explained his connection between the full moon and her hinky feeling. Abby listened, and nodded at the appropriate times, but her mind was still trying to figure out what was screaming so loudly in her gut.

* * *

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Fornell didn't bother knocking; he walked right in, holding up a paper bag to show he had brought take-out with him. "I just spend an hour trying to convince our ex-wife that I'm not trying to turn Emily into a _Goth_."

"Why? You take her out for a tattoo? Dye her hair black?"

"Nah, I thought she might enjoy getting a few piercings." Fornell hung his jacket on the back of one of Gibbs' dining table chairs.

Gibbs looked up from where he was wiping down the table, but said nothing.

"She told me that they ran into you and Abby a few days ago, and Emily has been talking about her a lot lately. She's convinced that Emily is going to give up piano for drums lessons and start selling drugs." Fornell grinned. "I can't say that I wouldn't be at least a little okay with it if it pissed Diane off."

"I can imagine."

"She needs help – almost to the point where I will suggest professional help. I'm tempted to have my lawyer make a suggestion. She's been bad-mouthing Sharon too. They haven't even met."

"I told you she needed help, but you didn't believe me and decided to marry her instead. Classic _I told you so_ right there."

"Yeah, yeah." Fornell began pulling food from the bag as Gibbs went to grab two plates. "Speaking of Abby, where is she tonight?"

"I don't know," Gibbs shrugged. "Why?"

"Plenty of food, I thought she might be around."

"Here? Why?"

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately. Obviously you were out together when Emily saw you, anything I should know about?"

"About Abby and I? Nah, she's still worried that the universe it out to get me, so she likes to hover. And she's good company." Gibbs dished up a healthy portion of sweet and sour chicken and rice and then snagged an egg roll with his chopsticks.

"Good company," Fornell snorted. "That's all?" He had more to say, but pulled up short when he caught the look that Gibbs was giving him. He knew Abby was off limits, and apparently, discussing their relationship – work or personal – was off limits as well.

Gibbs was unusually quiet after that, lost in his own thoughts about Abby. Wondering where she was, what she was doing, if she'd had dinner yet.

"Anyway, Diane has been making life miserable lately. I think my relationship with Sharon has hit her hard and she feels threatened. Before she was able to retain almost full custody because she had a steadier home life – being able to work from home in the evenings, but if things with Sharon… well, you know… work out, then, well…"

"You gonna marry this woman?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Hell if I know," Fornell snapped. "I'm just saying that if things _did_ go that way, it would cause a huge uproar, I'm sure."

"But Emily likes her?"

"Sharon? Oh yeah. They have great fun together. I think she's a good influence on Emily. She's pretty relaxed and it's… it's good. They're good together. Hell, they gang up on me half the time."

Gibbs smiled. He remembered when Shannon and Kelly would gang up on him over silly things like what to have for dinner, or what movie to watch. Shannon always said that the two girls outnumbered him, and he would give up with a soft smile and a kiss for each of them. "Diane will get over it."

"With the help of a little medication," Fornell smirked. "Nah, I can't be too mean, she'd done well with Emily, and Emily loves all her activities. I'm not worried about her, so I can't complain. I'd just love to have one of those friendly divorces that you always read about, but never actually hear about."

"Because they don't exist."

"I suppose with as many divorces as you've had, you would know."

"You think you'd go through a big custody battle?"

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to Emily. By the time things were settled she'd be in high school anyway. As long as she is happy and I get some time with her, then I'm okay with our arrangement." Fornell answered honestly.

"Fair enough."

They were both mid-chew when they heard tires screech in front of his house. They dropped their forks and both went to the door. The street was empty, save for the few cars parked on the street belonging to Fornell and Gibbs' neighbors. Gibbs was just about to close the door when something bright red caught his eye. His beloved charger had a big stripe of red paint across the hood. "_Sonofabitch_."

"What the hell? Oh, _damn_." Fornell caught sight of what had happened and he shook his head.

Gibbs jogged down the front steps and circled his car. Nothing else had happened, the tires were fine, no scratches and the windows weren't bashed in. "Who the hell?"

"You sure the universe isn't out to get you? Maybe Abby is right."

Gibbs glared at his friend over the hood of his car.

"You want me to call and have one of my agents keep tabs on the block? I know you don't want anyone in your house, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone keeping an eye on things."

"I'll be fine."

"Probably. You'd better call Abby, you know she'll hear about it, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath if she finds out by someone other than you."

"Don't worry, you won't be."

"Well, I'll make a few phone calls anyway. Let me know if you come up with anything."

"Yeah." Gibbs headed back up the front step and shook his head. He heard Fornell drive off, but his gaze was on his car. He gave a heavy sigh as he shut the front door and clicked the lock into place. He paced across his living room as he debated whether or not to call Abby and in the end, he was a little more scared of her wrath than he cared to admit, so he picked up the phone and dialed.

"Abigail Sciuto, mistress of the dark, how may I serve you?"

"Abby." Gibbs sighed as he scrubbed his hand over his face.

"Hey Gibbs." She gave no indication that she was uncomfortable with her greeting.

He had been momentarily distracted by her voice, husky and sensual. "Why do you answer your phone like that?"

"Because I knew it was you, caller I.D., and I know you won't think any less of me. What's up?"

"What do you know about getting spray paint off a car?"

"Oooh, I know that it's not easy, depends on the spray paint, why?"

"Charger has a bright red streak across the hood."

"Oh my God, are you serious? Gibbs you should call the police!"

He could hear Abby moving around her apartment. "There is nothing they can do about it now. Fornell was here."

"He left? Gibbs, you shouldn't be alone right now. What if they come back?"

"They won't come back, Abbs. Everything is fine."

"How do you know? Lock your door. And check your windows."

"Already did." He heard her moving around more quickly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting my shoes on. I'm coming over." She sounded surprised that he even had to ask. Surely he didn't expect her to sit at home and do nothing.

"Abby, you don't need to come over. I'm fine."

"Except your car, your car isn't fine." When Gibbs didn't answer, Abby knew it had hit him hard. "Look Gibbs, I can't promise anything, but I can maybe run some tests on the spray paint and find something that will remove it, but not the paint of your car."

"I've never heard of any paint remover that can do that."

"I know. That's because it doesn't really exist. But I might be able to come up with something."

"Why don't you take a look tomorrow?"

"Because the longer it sits, the harder it will be to get off. I'm hanging up now; I'll be at your place in fifteen minutes." Abby hung up before Gibbs could answer.

Gibbs decided to wait for Abby out on the front porch. He watched his neighbors as they arrived home from a long day at work, and he nodded politely when Mrs. Jennings passed his walkway on her nightly walk with her dog.

He looked over at his car and thought back to when his dad had taken him to the garage and surprised him by still having the car that he had implied he'd gotten rid of it several years prior. He thought about the hard work his father had put in to get it to the condition it was in now – the money, the hours – everything he had done to Gibbs' standards and specifications.

He was so lost in his memories he didn't notice Abby pulling up in front of his house until she shut her car door, startling him from his thoughts.

"It's just across the hood, could be worse." He nodded at the car, and watched as Abby circled around it, running her fingers along his car gently.

Gibbs stood and opened the front door, waiting for her to follow him in.

"You hear anything? Any idea of who did it?" Abby headed up the front steps and followed Gibbs inside.

"Nah, just head some tires screeching and went to look. Fornell was here, and we both noticed that the hood had been sprayed."

"Oh. Guess there aren't any security tapes you could have him pull, are there?"

Gibbs ignored the jab and didn't answer. "You think you can come up with something to take the paint off?"

"No promises, but I can try. But you said Fornell was here. Is he doing anything?" Abby walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains.

"He said he'd have someone keep an eye on the house."

"Good. When will the agent arrive?"

"Arrive?"

"You'll have someone inside, right? I'll wait until they get here. I mean, I don't know that I would do much good in a gun fight, but you saw what I did to Fred a few years back. I can throw a punch or two."

"I'm not having anyone in my house, Abbs. They'll drive by every 15-20 minutes."

"But _Gibbs!"_

"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry."

"Then why did you call me?"

Gibbs wasn't sure why she looked hurt, but she did, so he crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. "Because I knew you'd find out and I didn't want you to think I was keeping it from you."

"Oh." Abby untangled herself from his arms and turned back toward the door. "I'll just get a swab of paint and see what I can come up with."

"Yeah, okay." Gibbs wasn't sure he wanted her to leave. He enjoyed her company and the idea of spending an evening curled up on the couch with her was something he'd been thinking about more and more lately, but he wasn't sure he could allow himself to indulge in that fantasy.

"See you tomorrow, Gibbs. Lock the door." She disappeared behind the door with a soft click as she pulled it shut behind her.

Gibbs watched from the window as she pulled out a sterile swab and took her sample of the spray paint. It was only when she got in her car and pulled away from the curb that he moved from the window and headed up to bed. Working in the basement didn't hold the same appeal as it had earlier.

* * *

The sound of his cell phone ringing early the next morning woke Gibbs nearly an hour before his 6am alarm went off. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, this is Agent Mercer with the FBI, Agent Fornell has me keeping an eye on your house."

"Yeah." Gibbs sat up and scrubbed his hand over his face. "What do you need?"

"Well, there is a woman in your driveway; I thought you might want to take a look before I stop her. Maybe you can I.D. her?"

Gibbs padded barefoot to the window and looked down. He couldn't quite see the hood of his car, but the black pigtails were a dead giveaway. "Don't worry about her, she's fine." Gibbs hung up and then switched his sleep pants for a pair of jeans and pulled a tee over his head. He had set his coffee machine the night before, so all he had to do was start it. He pulled two mugs from the cabinet and filled them with coffee, adding a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar to the second one. He slipped his shoes on and carried the coffee down the front step.

"What're you doin', Abbs?"

"Last night, I brought the sample of spray paint back to my lab and I was able to create something that would remove the spray paint, but not the paint of your car. And _voila_," Abby wiped the sponge across his hood, easily removing the spray paint. "No more spray paint."

Gibbs was amazed at how easily the paint wiped from his car. The car had always meant a lot to him, but the fact that his father had kept it and finished it just the way he had wanted it – it meant more to him than he'd ever willingly admit. "Got a wakeup call from the FBI this morning. Whoever Fornell had keeping an eye on the house, he thought that you were the one that painted the car." Gibbs circled around the car and tried to take the sponge from Abby's hand.

"No touching." Abby pointed at the gloves on her hands. "Not the sort of stuff you want on bare skin."

"This stuff legal?" Gibbs looked into the bucket of cleaner she had.

"Questionable," Abby grinned. "But it's not like I'm trying to sell it. And it works, right? So make sure that FBI agent doesn't drive by and haul me in for having illegal cleaner." When she was done, Abby stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash before accepting the coffee from Gibbs. "I just need to spray it off with the hose, and then I believe you're good as new. Well, as new as it was since it wasn't the original color."

"I'll spray it down, go inside Abbs. I'll fix us breakfast in a minute."

"I'll hose it off. I need to rinse out my bucket, but I think I'm just going to toss the sponge." Abby handed him her coffee after one last sip and shooed him away. Gibbs watched a moment longer as Abby hauled out the hose and began rinsing his car and driveway.

Inside Gibbs refilled their coffee and opened the fridge. He didn't have much, but he always had eggs, and there was some bacon that was still good. He popped some bread in the toaster and started the bacon in one pan and then eggs in a second pan. Abby came in just as he slid her eggs (over easy) onto a plate and added a few strips of bacon.

"Smells good in here," Abby sniffed the air and then grabbed the butter and started buttering the bread that popped up in the toaster.

"Abby?" Gibbs set the pan down after dishing up his own plate and turned to her.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Her smiled brightened considerably. "Welcome."

"Did you go home at all?"

"I needed a bucket, and sponge. I went home for those. Does that count?"

Gibbs handed over her breakfast. "Why don't you go home after you eat and get some sleep; I'll call you if we need you to come in."

"No can do, boss-man. When I was mixing my cocktail of paint remover I started some DNA for Agent Johnson. They should be done in an hour or so. I'll be alright, Caf-Pow! is always helpful." She made a show of batting her eyelashes at him.

"You're going to work yourself to death, you realize that, don't you?"

Abby shrugged. "And you sure are one to talk." Abby scooped up some egg-yolk with her toast. "One of these days I'll request a few days off to rest. You know, _one of these days_."

"I know, Abbs. I know."

* * *

"Daddy, why can't I spend more time with you and Sharon?" Emily held tightly to her father's hand as he walked her up the front step toward Diane's house.

"Is that something that you would like?" Fornell knelt down so he was the same height as his daughter.

"Yeah, you and Sharon are fun. Mommy doesn't like to do things like bowling, and she's always angry – not at me, but at other people. She's always on the phone with her doctor."

Fornell didn't mind Diane dating again, but he didn't want it to interfere with her relationship with Emily. "I'm sure we can work something out if you want to spend more time with me, but you have your after school activities, you wouldn't be able to keep doing all of those. Do you want to give those up?"

"Maybe tennis. Or piano. Not ballet."

"Well, tennis only lasts a few more weeks, and then we'll look at changing our schedule to have a little more time, how about that?" Fornell smoothed her hair down and kissed her forehead. "Come on, mommy's waiting."

He wasn't surprised when Diane opened the door almost instantly as he knocked. "Come one sweetie, daddy is running a few minutes behind, and I need to get to you piano in ten minutes. Go on upstairs and changed. I'll be up to brush your hair in a minute."

"She just put that dress on."

"Oh, honestly Tobias. She needs to look presentable when I take her out. She's had that old thing for a year." Diane grabbed Emily's bag from Fornell's shoulder. "She has an extra tennis session this Friday, so I'll be an hour late getting her to your place."

The door was closed before he could reply.

* * *

Gibbs carried an arm load of groceries up his front step and suddenly froze, his gut giving him that feeling that something was wrong. When he hit the top step he noticed his front door was open just a crack. Quietly, Gibbs set the grocery bags off to the side and reached for his gun. He toed open the door and snaked around the corner, darting from room to room, avoiding the creaky floorboards while clearing the place. He found nothing out of order as he moved silently upstairs – checking the bedrooms, bathroom, and closets. With one last place to check, Gibbs made his way back down the stairs and peeked out the windows. He turned to the basement door and slowly twisted the doorknob. The basement door eased open without a squeak, and Gibbs kept as close to the shadows as he could as he started down the steps. Three steps down, he knew he was alone – whoever it was had come and gone, leaving everything intact except for one thing.

His newest boat.

Gibbs continued down the stairs and set his gun on the work bench before circling the mess of wooden scraps. The only things intact were a few of the ribs still sticking upward in the pile of chopped wood. There was a piece of paper nailed to one of the ribs, and in simple black letters it read, 'You're tearing apart my family'.

Gibbs circled the rest of the mess and picked up a splintered board. He hadn't been one hundred percent certain as to what he was going to name this latest creation. Though lately the name 'The Abigail' had been floating around his head and he'd even penciled it on to a board in large, elegant letters to see what it'd look like.

It was beautiful.

And now it was ruined. He might've been able to salvage one or two of the ribs, but he knew that every time he worked on her, he would flash back to this mess on his basement floor. The image of whoever it was that was angry with him, tearing into such a rage that was no match for his top craftsmanship.

This had to be personal – his boat, with the exception of a few things he'd saved of Shannon and Kelly, was his way of putting all his emotions into something physical. When he couldn't tell those around him that he cared, he put those feelings into the long, hard hours he spent perfecting his craft. He knew it wasn't normal, and that he had somehow twisted his emotions into something his _friends_ couldn't understand or feel, but it was safe. The boat wouldn't betray him, the boat wouldn't leave, and until now, he had been in control of their fate.

But now, someone had taken that control. They had taken it out from under him and he hadn't even seen it coming. He felt violated, not because his home had been broken in to, but because the control he valued so much had been swept from beneath his feet. Glancing around the basement, Gibbs spotted a crowbar in a mix of all his tools.

He weighed it gingerly in his hand, judging how much strength he needed to put behind it to continue what someone else had started.

The first time he brought it down against the rib closest to him it bounced off taking little more than a few splinters of wood with it. The second time the rib snapped in half and skidded across the room to rest against an old rusted can of paint. The more he touched the crowbar to the remnants of what was to be his most grand boat yet, the further the slivers of wood flew, and the louder the beams cracked.

By the time he was done, there was a trickle of sweat dripping down his temple. He wiped it away and instantly regretted it when he felt the grainy bits of wood stick to his face. He was breathing heavily when he finally took the stairs up. He grabbed the groceries he'd left by the door and pushed the full bags into the near-empty fridge without unloading them. He took the stairs up to his room, and headed directly to the master bath, stripping out of his clothes as he moved, and walking straight into the shower – not waiting for the water temperature to adjust before getting in.

He scrubbed soap all over his body, and then shampooed his hair. Afterward he grabbed the closest towel, not caring that it was still slightly damp from that morning. He dried off briskly and changed into a clean pair of jeans and an old, but clean, tee.

He grabbed his cell phone from the pocket of his pants which lay on the floor and hit speed dial before tucking it between his shoulder and his ear while he pulled on a clean pair of socks. "Abbs?"

"Hey Gibbs, I was just thinking about you! There is this guy on TV and he's showing people how to-"

"_Abby!_" He didn't have the patience for her to ramble. "I need a favor."

"Uh, sure." She hesitated. Gibbs wasn't one for asking favors. He made requests and other complied. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I borrow your couch?"

* * *

TBC….


	5. Chapter 5

"Termites? Again?" Abby held the door open as Gibbs carried in two large grocery sacks. "Were you worried they'd go after your fridge?"

"I had just brought these home when I saw them, figured you probably haven't fed yourself yet, and thought the least I could do was fix us both dinner." Gibbs carried everything through to her kitchen and began pulling things out for steak, potatoes and a salad.

Abby leaned against the entry way of the kitchen and watched as Gibbs maneuvered through her kitchen with ease, knowing right where she kept the pot big enough to boil potatoes and the pan to broil the steaks. She wondered if she looked just as comfortable in his kitchen as he did in hers.

"What're you doing about the bugs?"

"Have someone treating the place tonight."

Abby didn't ask why he didn't choose to spend the night at Ducky's or even Fornell's. She was more concerned about tense he was, his shoulders were held tight, and he moved with such tight precision as he peeled potatoes, she was worried that if she startled him in any way he might slice a finger off.

Instead of questions she decided to see if a little humor might lighten him up. "Sorry I don't have a fire place – I know it's how you prefer to cook your steak."

"This'll do." Gibbs didn't look away from the task in front of him.

"Gibbs?"

His shoulders tensed and then relaxed slightly. "It's just been a long day, I'm hungry, and wasn't expecting to come home and find my basement in such a… with termites." He turned his head to look at her, and his eyes softened at the look of concern on her face. "Think you could help me make the salad?"

"Sure. I can do that. I might not be up to par with the standards that Fornell has set, but I can make a pretty decent salad." Gibbs flicked a few drops of water at her and she giggled. Being able to coax a small smile from him was enough to temporarily set her at ease until she was in a better position to figure out what was going on.

Once dinner was ready, Abby carried their plates to her elegantly decorated dining table while Gibbs uncorked a bottle of wine that Abby insisted they have with such a nice meal.

"You always keep your dining table set so nicely?"

"Oh yeah," Abby nodded. "I just never eat here unless I have company. It amplifies the feeling of being lonely, eating at a nicely set table alone."

Gibbs set their glasses of wine down before taking his seat opposite her. The table was covered in a rich red table cloth with large bronze candelabra just slightly off center. Her plates were a mix match of elegant vintage plates she'd collected from various estate sales. Her silverware was polished silver, a mixed set, which somehow seemed to match everything else.

"Oh!" Abby jumped up from her seat and dug around in what she considered her junk drawer in her kitchen. "Can't forget to light the candles." She produced a lighter and sat back in her seat before lighting the candles on the candelabra. "Now it feels like a real restaurant with a nice meal, candles, only without the awkward reaching for the check and back and forth over who will pay."

"I've always paid when we've gone out for dinner."

"I know," Abby shrugged. "I'm just saying…"

"It looks nice."

"Thank you," she smiled proudly.

"And technically, I still paid for dinner since I brought everything with me."

"_Gibbs!_"

By the time they finished their dinner, Gibbs seemed much more relaxed and it put Abby at ease. Gibbs had his famous gut, and Abby went off of her _Gibbsometer._ She was more likely to be able to tell if something was wrong by reading him, than actually sensing if something was wrong herself. After cleaning up, once the dishwasher was humming quietly in the background, Abby tugged Gibbs over to the couch to watch some TV. She was always after him to watch one show or another, but now that she finally had him as captive audience in her apartment, he wasn't able to think of an excuse not to watch. In the end she found an old western movie in the TV guide, and he seemed genuinely interested in it. Abby found the channel and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch around her before leaning against him, tugging his arm around her shoulders.

With her face turned away from him, she smiled widely when he absentmindedly pressed a kiss to the top of her head and instead of focusing on the movie, she wondered what it would be like if she could convince him to give a real relationship with her a try.

Was he the type that liked to go out on dates? She didn't picture him as the type to go out to see a movie in the cinema, but maybe a concert at a jazz club? Or a movie at a drive-in? She was well aware of his history with past relationships, but did he remember the important dates? Valentine's day? She didn't think he was totally forgetful – there was always a little heart on her first Caf-Pow! of the day each February 14th – though she suspected that maybe it was a suggestion from the barista rather than him asking for one. Not that she considered Valentine's day anything other than a greeting card sponsored day. And he had never once forgotten her birthday, not even when they were beyond busy with a case.

She wondered if the boat was a nightly ritual when he was in a relationship, or if his nights in the basement were lessened to two or three nights a week rather than all seven if he had someone permanently in his life.

As her thoughts turned towards sex, she could feel herself blush and was thankful that she wasn't facing him. Did he like sex often? He was a man, but then again he was a little older and he certainly wasn't Tony DiNozzo, so maybe he was satisfied with once or twice a week. Did he like it rough, or was he a gentle lover? She could imagine both – him rasping out orders or his wood roughened hands caressing her so gently she would cry. Abby coughed as she choked on the idea, unsure of how she had gone from _if _he would consider her as a potential love interest to _how_ his skin would feel against hers.

"You okay?" Gibbs patted her back until her cough subsided and she nodded.

"I'm fine, just a funny tickle in my throat."

"Should I get you a glass of water?" Gibbs leaned forward to get a better look at her.

"No, no I'm fine. It's all better now. Thanks." Abby smiled and settled back against him, desperately trying to focus on the last few minutes of the movie, clueless to who was even the good guy.

As the credits rolled, Gibbs gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. "Alright, Abbs, time for bed. I've heard you've got a real grouch for a boss who doesn't do well without his beauty sleep."

"Really?" Abby grinned. "I've heard the same thing!"

"Bed," He pointed down the hall. "Now. Just let me know when you're done in the bathroom."

Gibbs watched her retreating form as she walked down the hall and found himself wondering how he was supposed to sleep knowing she was only a couple feet down the hall. She emerged ten minutes later, her face free of make-up and her hair loose around her shoulders. She was in her pajamas – soft flannel shorts and a loose tank top, the peaks of her breasts just barely outlined.

"I'm done," she leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom. "The bathroom is all yours. But um, Gibbs, you don't have to sleep on the couch. My bed is big enough for two and we're both adults-"

"Thank you, Abby, but I shouldn't." _I really shouldn't. _Gibbs grabbed his tooth brush and the clothes he'd brought to sleep in and headed toward the bathroom, just across the hall from her.

"It's okay, really Gibbs. You'll get a better night's sleep, I promise. And I don't snore."

"I…" He shook his head. He didn't want to say no, but he knew he should.

"Gibbs, you won't be able to stretch out on my couch, you're too tall. I can't even fully stretch out. And you know that rumor about you and your beauty sleep? It's not a rumor. You'll sleep better in my bed, and I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"Abby…" He couldn't think of a simple reason as to why it wasn't a good idea. Every reason he came up with was long and complicated and had to do with how he didn't _want_ her to keep her hands to herself.

"You're such a gentleman. But, I mean, if it bothers you that much, I'll sleep out here, I'm a few inches shorter than you, and I'm not the boss, so if I'm a little short on sleep, I won't have a whole team to be cranky wi-"

"Fine." He gave up.

Abby smiled. "It's like a real sleepover, you know? Can we tell scary stories and fall asleep with the lights on?"

Gibbs shook his head and gave her a soft shove towards the bed. She wondered briefly what he would've done if she'd tugged him with her, causing them both to stumble backwards and topple onto her soft cotton sheets and fluffy comforter. Instead she sat on the side of her bed and set her alarm before sliding between the sheets. "Alarm is set for 6:30, is that okay?"

"It's fine." Gibbs gave her a look she didn't quite understand before disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door.

It didn't take Gibbs long to brush his teeth, and ready himself for bed. If he thought he would have a hard time sleeping on Abby's couch, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in the same bed with her. She was already tucked under the covers when he returned, and the lights were off with the exception of a small bedside light so he could find his way through the dark.

She lay facing him, when he pulled back the covers and lay down. He clicked off the small light and looked up at the ceiling as his eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Why me?"

"Hmm?" He turned his head to look at her, though he could only make out the basic outline of her face.

"Why did you come to stay with me and not Ducky?"

"Someone's got to keep you fed." Gibbs heard a small huff and he could imagine her smiling at his comment.

"Thanks. Night, Gibbs."

"Good night, Abby."

He knew the exactly moment that she drifted to sleep. She had shifted ever so slightly closer to him until her back brushed up against her arm. He then felt her press her face deeper against her pillow and she shifted the covers up around her shoulders. With a deep sigh, he listened to her breathing slow to a deep, steady rhythm and it was then he knew she was out.

He gave his own soft sigh, grateful that he didn't have to control his own breathing or any small movements as he shifted to get comfortable. He was aware that she had listened to his breathing, hoping he would fall asleep before her so she could move a little closer. He vaguely understood her little crush on him, but he dismissed it as nothing more than a hero-worship. He'd saved her life on more than one occasion, and he wasn't sure which of them was more grateful that he'd made it just in the nick of time. But he knew she wanted more in a partner than what he could offer. He figured someone a few years younger than he, someone who would enjoy the loud concerts of bands named after body parts or emotions.

She probably wanted someone who would spoil her – though he thought he did a pretty good job of that. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. She wanted someone who could keep up with her, bouncing off the walls after only a few Caf-Pow! and more than anything, someone who could understand the science jargon that she recited to herself when she was bored or trying to confuse Tony. In his thoughts he moved on from what he figured she wanted, to what she needed.

She needed someone to look out for her, someone who understood her need to be friendly to everyone but would make sure she didn't put too much trust in the wrong people.

She needed someone who would lay down their life to keep her safe. She was brilliant in what she did, and the world needed her for many more years, making discoveries and solving crimes. He knew she needed to have her own lab, work for a company that would give her every upgraded piece of machinery she ever requested (not that he expected she would ever replace Major Mass Spec.), but for his own selfish reasons he couldn't take that step in suggesting she go somewhere where she would be treated better. Everyone at NCIS adored her, and she was treated like royalty. But funds were tight and she was no more likely to get an upgraded lab, than he was likely to become the next director. She was underpaid and overworked – she worked long hours, depending on the case, sometimes longer than he did.

He knew she received twice yearly bonuses while the team only received one, but it didn't even begin to cover the extra hours she put in while she was off the clock. He supposed she was given smaller, non-monetary royalties – her wardrobe didn't exactly follow the employee handbook, and the fact that her lab was full of toys and trinkets and that she had a futon (and slept there regularly) wasn't exactly smiled upon, but it was Abby - No one saw the point in complaining.

She shifted slightly in her sleep and Gibbs, finally certain she wasn't going to wake up, rolled to his side to look her. If he lifted his head from the pillow he could see the outline of her cheek, her delicate ear, the way her neck sloped down into her shoulder. He took a risk by pressing his chest to her back, and then, when she didn't move, her took another risk by resting his arm over her waist. She moved slightly to settle back against him, but when she mumbled something he couldn't understand, he knew she hadn't woken up.

He wasn't sure what he would do when he eventually lost her. He was damn sure he would keep her safe from harm, but when he eventually lost her to another man. He hadn't been worried about losing her to McGee. Their relationship was ill-fated from the start and he was glad that it hadn't crashed and burned the way he knew work-place romances could.

But the day she showed up on his door step to introduce him to the love of her life – that would be the day he would lose her. She went on dates all the time, and then never went past a second or third date, so she'd never bothered introducing them to anyone except occasionally Tony when they occasionally hung out in the same circle of NCIS and FBI recruits. He had questioned her once about her date and she had replied with, _"Oh Gibbs, you'll be the first to know if I find anyone serious. I'm just out having fun for now."_

He took her word for it, and so far he hadn't lost her.

Gibbs hadn't planned on falling asleep, so when he blinked his eyes and suddenly the clock read 06:18 he was surprised. He was still wrapped around Abby, and with her alarm set to go off in 12 minutes, he was glad he got the time to untangle himself from her before she woke up and things got awkward.

He ran a hand over his face and padded barefoot out to her kitchen where he hovered around the coffee maker as it percolated. He was halfway through his first cup, and making two omelets when he heard a jaw-popping yawn from the doorway.

"Coffee is ready and you're making breakfast? I might have to keep you."

Gibbs pointed to the bar top where he'd placed a coffee for her just a few moments before.

"Thanks," Abby slid onto a stool and sipped her coffee quietly until Gibbs pushed a plate towards her.

They ate in silence and Gibbs was glad that she wasn't as chatty first thing in the morning compared to how she usually was. And once the dishes were loaded in the dishwasher (he'd already put the clean ones away), Gibbs collected his stuff and got ready to leave. "Tell DiNozzo he's in charge today unless something major comes up – then you have him call me."

"You're not coming in to work today?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I've got to get home see what needs to be done."

"Oh, okay. Do you need any help with anything? Cleaning up?"

"No, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

His first stop was the hardware store where he picked up new locks and deadbolts for the front and back door as well as a new window locks, and a new latch for the basement window in case anyone had any ideas about climbing in. He did a quick tour of the house, checking that he was alone, and then set about replacing the locks on the door knob before drilling a larger hole for the deadbolt.

He took a break for lunch before working on the window in the basement. And then, with his house secure he began the slow process collecting the splinters of wood that littered the basement floor.

He was just starting to stack the larger pieces when he heard footsteps overhead. There weren't quick enough to be Abby's, or quiet enough to be Ziva's. He could always hear when it was Tony – singing to himself, quoting a movie, or he just plain announced himself, and McGee would never stop by without calling first.

He heard a soft humming when the basement door opened and decided it must be Ducky, so he dropped his hand from the knife he carried on his belt.

"I was having lunch with mother and she told me to bring you some of the pasta salad that her nurse fixed for us and..." Ducky paused halfway down the steps."Good Lord Jethro, what happened here?"

"A little accident."

"I'd say." Ducky continued down. "I saw you've got new locks on your door."

"Apparently I forgot to lock them."

"They do work best that way, though I don't suspect they would keep termites from returning."

Gibbs glanced up at Ducky, giving him a look to drop it.

Ducky, however, avoided his gaze and continued. "Amazing how those little buggers will attack only one source of wood in a home. I suppose you lucked out rather nicely as it was only your boat that they nibbled on, rather extensively, and with a crowbar no less."

"What can I do for you, Duck?"

"I'd like to know what's going on. Abigail said you seemed a bit off and then told me about your _termite_ issue. Seems to me termite is a code for something else. And judging by the new locks on your door…"

Gibbs continued to pick up the large scraps of wood and stack them against the fall wall. When it was clear that Ducky was waiting for him to speak, he straightened up and looked to the older man. "I came home to find my boat smashed," he shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "I helped it along a little further."

"I presume you have an idea of who it was?"

"No."

"No?"

"I wouldn't have put new locks on my door if I knew who it was."

"No, I suppose not." Ducky picked up a broom and began sweeping the smallest scraps into a pile. "I also take it that you have no plans to tell Abby or the team?"

"I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself."

"She worries about you."

"I know."

"But I will keep quiet if that's what you want."

"I appreciate it."

"What are you going to do? Any ideas?"

"No." Gibbs stretched his back after bending down for a large piece of wood. "It's not the first time I've made an enemy over a case. They'll make themselves known eventually."

"And let's hope you figure it out before they decide to take a crowbar to you instead of your belongings." Ducky swept the best he could around the larger pieces that were still scattered around the floor and then, sensing his friend had heard enough, Ducky returned the broom to where it had been resting against the wall. As he was just about to open his mouth, he noticed writing on one of boards and saw the letters 'The Abiga-' penciled lightly.

_Ah, no wonder there is anger surrounding the demise of an unfinished boat._ "Well Jethro, I have a few errands yet to run. There is pasta salad in your fridge."

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs followed him up and walked him to the door.

"You know, these work best when locked." Ducky gestured to the deadbolt and smiled.

"I know. See you tomorrow, thanks for the pasta salad."

"Take care."

Gibbs waited until Ducky was safely in his Morgan before shutting and locking his front door. It didn't take him long to finish cleaning up the basement, the smaller bits of wood taken out to the yard waste, and the larger pieces stacked to be burned in the fire place - no sense in wasting perfectly good wood.

* * *

Abby was cranky as she headed home. What had started out to be a perfect day – almost waking up to Gibbs – had gone south. With Gibbs out of the office, the team had ended up catching up on paperwork leaving her with nothing but boring lab work for other teams who were in need of DNA matches. No one was as patient as Gibbs was while waiting for her to explain the results and she had to wait until almost lunch time before Tony had remembered to bring her a Caf-Pow!

The team had invited her out to lunch, but Vance had called her up to MTAC to sit in on a video conference with the LA office. At least she got to say hello to Hetty – everyone else was busy chasing down bad leads. Finally, just before six, she was allowed to go home. Everyone else on the team had left the hour before, and not even Gibbs was there to wish her a good evening or walk her to her car.

Gibbs had made it pretty clear that he didn't need her help in cleaning up, but she wasn't sure she bought his story about termites, which left her to wonder why he had needed a place to stay. She refused to admit to herself that it was possible that he had been lonely, but then it was far from Gibbs to admit he was anything except fine.

Gibbs was fine. Abby smiled to herself as she dropped her keys on the small table just inside her front door. Gibbs was _fiiiine._

Her stomach made a small protest and she went directly to the kitchen in search of food. When she pulled open the fridge she stared at a paper grocery bag tucked into the bottom – not recognizing it. When she pulled it open, she found the rest of Gibbs' groceries: milk, cereal, bread, lunch meat, butter.

She wasn't going to stay, she decided as she drove the familiar streets to his house, she was just going to drop off the groceries and leave. That was it.

The lights were on and his car was in the drive when she pulled up outside. She gathered the groceries and headed up the front walk, tucking her keys in her pocket before reaching for the front door. She let out a soft yelp when her hand twisted around the door knob and her wrist hit the door.

The door stood firm and it took a second try before she realized that his door was locked. She couldn't remember a single time, in all the years she had known him that she had showed up and found his door locked.

He had never been worried about keeping people out, but what if, someone had decided to keep him in. She pressed her ear against the door and listened, hoping to hear movement or voices to give her a clue as to why his door was locked. She scanned the streets to see if there was an unfamiliar car, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. She felt panic start to rise in her gut, and she shifted the groceries to the other arm, and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She hit speed dial for Gibbs' cell and waited while staring at the offending lock. Something wasn't right.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Oh my God, are you alright?"

"Abby? I'm fine, why?"

"Your door. It's locked."

"What? Oh, yeah. Are you outside?"

"You never lock your door – oh, do you…" A second thought came to mind. "Do you have a lady friend over?"

The line went dead at the same time as the deadbolt clicked and the door opened. "It's just me here, Abbs."

"I mean, if you need some privacy…" Abby shifted from one foot to the other and avoided his gaze.

"_Abby_. What's up?" Gibbs stood aside to let her in, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched her frown at the lock as she stepped past.

"You left these in my fridge. I thought you might want them." Abby walked right to the kitchen and put the items away before folding up the paper bag and stowing it away.

"Ah, thanks. You hungry."

"No, it's okay-" Abby was cut off by her stomach sounding a protest.

"Come on, Ducky brought over some pasta salad. I was just about to dish some up. Plenty for the both of us."

"You don't have to feed me all the time."

"Well, if I knew for a fact you would feed yourself." Gibbs elbowed her in the stomach as he dished up their pasta salad.

"I was going to after I dropped the food off."

"Uh huh." Gibbs handed her a bowl.

"You're covered in saw dust, like, more than usual. Everything okay downstairs?"

"Everything is fine." Gibbs watched as her eyes surveyed the room and he knew she could tell something was different.

"Is that wood from the boat?" Abby set her fork down and got up to walk over to the fire place. Beside it was a small stack of perfectly sanded wood from his boat. "_Gibbs!" _ She spun around to face him. "Why are you burning parts of your boat?"

She was at the basement door in a flash, and he didn't have time to stop her before she was headed down the stairs. He stopped at the base of the steps and watched as she turned a small circle in the clear space in the middle of the basement where the boat had been. "What happened…?"

She had helped him sand a few times in the weeks after Ziva made her decision to stay in Israel and then again when she had gone off the grid. It had helped keep her mind off the worst, and Gibbs hadn't minded the company. They hadn't worked on the boat together in while – work having kept the both busy, but she talked about it often. He had hoped to have had the chance to start another one, and get it almost to the point of where she had last seen it. It could've claimed that he had messed up and taken parts of it apart, and she never would've had to know about the original being broken out of rage.

"It wasn't termites, was it." It was more of a statement than a question and they both knew the answer.

"No."

He saw the moment it clicked, and her expression went from sad to angry. "The new lock… _Gibbs,_" she warned and then looked over to the large pile of wood. "You didn't break her either."

"No."

"You lied to me!" A look of hurt washed over her face before anger took its place again. "Gibbs does not lie, not to me. You aren't allowed to lie to me. You can lie to Tony, McGee, or even Ziva but not _me_!"

"Abby…"

"Someone is after you, Gibbs! Someone was in your house. How could you keep that from me? You could be in danger." She started pacing the basement, tapping her fingers together as she thought of what she could do. "You can't stay here, Gibbs. What if they come back?"

"They won't, they were just trying to scare me, that's all."

"Well I'm scared." She stopped pacing and looked at him, her big green eyes shining in the soft light from the lamp over his work bench.

"Don't be. I don't think they'll be back, but just in case I've put new locks on my doors and I locked them."

"I noticed. Did… did they leave anything behind?"

"A note." Gibbs nodded to where it lay on the bench.

"I might be able to pull a print, or DNA or… or something!" Abby went to the bench and opened a box where she knew Gibbs kept a box of gloves and a few evidence bags. "I'm taking this to the lab, Gibbs and I'll call you the minute I find anything."

"Abby-"

"No, Gibbs. I refuse to back down on this. Too much hinky stuff has been going on around you, and I don't like it."

"I was going to tell you that my print will be on it."

"Oh. Right." She nodded. "Maybe we should call Fornell, maybe he can have an agent keep an eye out again?" Abby thought a moment. "Or maybe you shouldn't stay here; you can come back to my place if you want? It's a secure building, and I'm on the second floor so no one can come in through the window."

"I'll be fine, Abby. You can take this to the lab if you want, I won't stop you, but that's it. I'm fine Abbs, it's not the first time I've made someone unhappy by throwing a dirt-bag in jail." Gibbs slowly edged closer. It was dangerous to be too close to Abby when she was upset, her pig-tails were a weapon if you stood too close and she whipped her head around.

"Promise me you'll at least go over the last few cases if I can't match any prints. Please try to figure out who did this, I… please?"

"Promise." He pulled her into a tight hug, holding a few seconds longer than he planned. "Come on, let's go upstairs and finished the pasta salad. It's actually pretty good."

"No, I've got to get this running. I'll call you if I come up with anything." Abby pulled out of his arms and grabbed the evidence bag before racing up the stairs. "Lock up behind me, Gibbs," she called out as she hit the top step.

* * *

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Abby had spent the entire day trying to find something – anything – that would help Gibbs in figuring out who had broken his boat. "It's clean, Gibbs. Completely clean, with the exception of your prints from where you picked it up. _Damnit!"_ Abby slammed her hands down uncharacteristically on the evidence table.

It was a technique he used in interrogation and it caused him to hesitate a moment before stepping closer to her. "Relax, Abbs. It'll be okay."

"No, Gibbs, it won't, because they obviously know what they are doing. They haven't left a trail at all."

"Anyone who has ever seen a crime drama knows not to leave prints, you know that. You tell me all the time."

"Then how… how are we going to figure this out?"

"Give me a couple of days, let me look over a few of the last cases we've done and see if anything suspicious jumps out. Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, you know that." She looked hurt that he would even have to ask if she would do something for him. She thought she had made it clear long ago that she would do anything.

"First, I want you to go home and get some sleep. Then, _tomorrow,_ when you are well rested, can you pull up a list of people I've put away who were released from prison over the past 30 days."

"60 days. They might've taken some time to get settled first, plan a little."

"Fine, 60 days. But now it's time for you to promise me that you'll go home and get some rest."

"How am I supposed to sleep when you've got a crazy person after you? How are you supposed to sleep?"

"Like I always do, with my eyes closed."

"Not funny."

* * *

"My door is locked, I've got my gun. Go home Abby." Gibbs leaned in and kissed her cheek before making a quick exit. He would have security check in to make sure she left within the hour.

Gibbs stared at the bloodied motel room and took a long sip of his coffee. It was going to be a long day, he could feel it.

Tony stepped up beside his boss and his eyes widened at the sight. "A lot of blood loss, you think it's all from this guy?"

"Dunno," Gibbs grunted. "Must've been quite a fight."

"That's putting it lightly." Tony stepped side to let McGee and Ziva both get a look.

"I'll go down and see what info I can pull from the front desk," McGee offered.

"What, can't handle all the blood, McGoo?"

McGee just rolled his eyes and headed down the hall.

Gibbs pulled on a glove and felt around their victim's pockets for a wallet. "It's our Marine. DiNozzo, shoot and sketch. David, bag and tag."

While Tony chattered on about the vague similarities to a movie he'd seen a few years back, Gibbs gave the body a once over. He'd obviously been beaten badly, but at the same time he'd put up a fight. His knuckles were raw, and it looked as if his hand was broken from landing a hard punch. Whoever he'd been up against, hadn't gotten away cleanly.

"Oh, oh my."

Gibbs looked up at the sound of Ducky's voice and moved back so both Ducky kneel beside the body.

"This young man was in quite the fight. Does he have a name?"

"PFC Ernest E. Maldonado."

"Poor boy," Ducky fussed before inserting a liver probe. "He sure put up a good fight. I won't know cause of death until I get him back at the table, but I have a few suspicions."

"Time of death?"

Ducky angled the liver probe. "I would say roughly 8 hours ago."

Gibbs glanced down at his watch. "That makes it 0100. Alcohol involved?"

"Quite possibly, I'll have Abby run the tests. Have your team collect multiple blood samples from around the room. I don't believe he's lost quite enough blood to cover all this. You could possibly come up with a second set of DNA."

Gibbs glanced over to Tony and Ziva to make sure they'd heard. He got a quick nod from both of them.

McGee arrived just in time to hold door open for Palmer to wheel in the stretcher.

"I've got a credit card and a phone number, but that's it. The manager is contacting security and they will email footage from all their security cameras. Digital," he clarified. "They upgraded a few months ago, when they started having issues with the old VHS system they used to use."

Once their Marine was loaded into a body bag, Gibbs held the door for Ducky and Palmer to head back to autopsy, sending McGee along with them to get started as soon as the security footage to arrive. With the body out of the way, Gibbs pulled on a fresh set of gloves and began poking around the small room, going through everything he found.

"This look like it'd fit our Marine?" Gibbs pulled a shirt from one of the suitcases.

"Maybe if he dropped 40lbs of muscle," Tony commented.

Gibbs gave a little nod and then opened the second suitcase where he found clothing more suitable to their Marine. "I don't think he was staying here alone."

"Why do you think they were here together? Lovers?" Ziva asked. "Maybe there were rumors about Maldonado, and whoever the second man was, he lured him here."

"Nah," Tony dismissed. "They were here for a few days. If this was supposed to be some wild sexual getaway, there'd be lube in the nightstand, condoms. I've checked, there is nothing."

"And you know this how…? Sweet-cheeks." A small smirk pulled at the corner of Ziva's lips.

"Because it makes sense, my little love-muffin." Tony teased back, using their nicknames from when they had been under cover together.

"Tony's right." Gibbs couldn't help but notice the way Tony preened at the slight praise. "If it was some sort of hate-crime, usually we'd fine some sort of message or statement to go with it. This looks like a knock-down, drag-out fight."

It took two hours before Gibbs was satisfied with what they had collected. While his agents loaded the car, Gibbs spoke with the manager and the cleaning lady who'd found the room. He was sure McGee had done a fine job, but there was something in his gut telling him that the day was far from over. He tossed his coffee in the trash and walked briskly to the car. The sooner Abby had the evidence the quicker he would have answers.

They left the hotel behind, and headed back to the Navy yard. Gibbs sent Tony down to Abby's lab with the evidence and had Ziva start with the phone calls. McGee was well into the 144 hours of security footage, so Gibbs headed down to the deli for a fresh coffee and a Caf-Pow! for his favorite person. He stood in line and placed his order. It was $2.11 (with his discount) for both beverages, and handed over a crisp five dollar bill, walking away before the change could be counted back. When his drinks were up, he grabbed them and walked back towards NCIS, glancing down at the bullet resistant glass window that lead to the lab. His legs felt heavy as he waited in the elevator, but he always felt slow when his gut told him it would be a long day.

It was all forgotten when he stepped inside her lab and Abby's eyes widened at the sight of him (more so the Caf-Pow! in his hand, he figured) and she smiled happily at him. "Gibbs!"

"Think you've got enough work to keep busy? I'd hate for you to be bored down here in your lab. Never know what sort of trouble you might come up with."

"Trouble? Me?" Abby bat her eyelashes and gratefully accepted the Caf-Pow!. "But honestly, I think I've got enough here to keep me from trouble for days. Really, so no need to worry about little old me."

Gibbs smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a half hug. He kissed her temple and then let her go, and turned to leave. "I always worry about you." He was gone before he could hear her reply.

Abby smiled to herself and turned back to the table piled high with evidence. It was early in the day; she had a lot to get through if she wanted to be home at a decent time. She started by organizing it into boxes that she could stack out of her way until she was ready for it. Her first task was testing the blood. Ducky had explained that with the amount of blood they found made him suspect that the victim wasn't the only one to bleed.

She danced around her lab, talking to her machines as she went, encouraging speedy results. "You know how Gibbs' likes to wrap cases up quickly. We've got a killer to catch. Work, work, work!" She pat Bert on the head and straightened his collar before spinning away to pull up a new piece of evidence for processing.

She only had time for a quick lunch. She grabbed a sandwich from the deli and managed to convince Gibbs to take ten minutes to have a bit to eat with her, handing him half of her sandwich. They talked about the case, and Abby gave him a run down on everything she'd been over so far.

It wasn't long after lunch that her computer beeped and she moved over to the screen to pull up the results. "That was quick, someone is on their game today," she praised. "Wait, what…?" Abby scanned through the results three times before shaking her head. She kept her eye on the door as she dialed Gibbs. Usually he'd be walking in about now, but somehow she suspected that even Gibbs hadn't picked up on what she discovered.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Since when did you start saying hello? Anyway, I need you…" She hesitated. "I need you in the lab, Gibbs."

"Okay. Uh, bye."

Abby looked at the phone before hanging up. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard him say hello or goodbye on the phone or in person. When it came to work he didn't have the time for such pleasantry, and in person she usually launched into whatever she wanted to talk about before he even had the time to say hello.

She read over the results twice more to make sure she was sure of what she was looking at before Gibbs arrived. She heard the elevator ding, and she turned to face the door, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet waiting for him.

"What… what did you need me for?" Gibbs looked around the lab before focusing his gaze on Abby.

"Okay, well, that isn't your usual greeting, but it'll do." Abby gave him a curious look and shrugged before turning back to her computer screen. "I've been running a billion different tests all morning, but I've come up with something interesting when it comes to all that blood from the crime scene. You were right; it wasn't all from the victim." Abby paused for dramatic effect, hoping Gibbs would comment about his famous gut, but he kept quiet, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Of course you knew that, but what was a real shocker is that, the rest of the blood came from someone related to our Marine. As in, _his brother_. Did we even know he had a brother? Maybe he didn't know he had a brother. A brother isn't mentioned in his file. It's like a made-for-TV movie, Gibbs. Two guys get in a fight, guy a kills guy b and then finds out later that his father wasn't always the happy family man and that really he's just killed his brother. Gibbs?" He'd never let he ramble that far, especially if it didn't relate directly to the case. "Gibbs?"

"He didn't do it."

"The brother? Maybe not, but his blood was at the crime scene."

"But he didn't do it."

"Do you know who did? Because personally I find it a little hinky that there is no mention of a brother, and yet the DNA says brother." Abby shrugged. "And you know how I feel about my forensics. I didn't mess up."

"Petty Officer O'Brian. He didn't do it," Gibbs stressed.

"Gibbs?" Abby tilted her head slightly.

Abby wasn't sure what Petty Officer O'Brian had to do with it. "But our current victim, PFC Maldonado… he has a brother. One he either didn't know about, or didn't want anyone else to know about." Abby waited for a response. She watched silently as Gibbs moved over to the big plasma screen on the wall, pacing in front of it, talking quietly to himself. When Abby took a closer look, she noticed that his cheeks were flushed and he looked uncomfortable.

"You feel okay, Gibbs?" She stepped in front of him, stopping him to press the back of her hand to his forehead. "You're really warm."

Gibbs ducked away from her touch and continued to pace back and forth.

Quietly she moved back to her desk and picked up her phone, pressing speed-dial for autopsy.

"Autopsy," Ducky answered.

"Ducky…" Abby glanced over her shoulder at Gibbs before whispering into the phone. "Something isn't right with Gibbs."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"He's sick, I think. He feels really warm, but he's… he's not making any sense. He's been talking about Petty Officer O'Brian, but we closed that case almost a month ago."

"I'm on my way dear, don't let him go anywhere."

Abby hung up and moved back to Gibbs. He was sweating as he paced in front of the monitor. "… O'Brian couldn't have killed him; he was on the Barry while it was docked here. Colonel Shelly was in Norfolk. He couldn't have done it…"

"Gibbs?" Abby spoke softly. "Why don't you come sit down in my chair, okay?"

Gibbs nodded and allowed her to maneuver him toward her desk. "Gibbs can you tell me what's wrong?"

He looked at her as he sat down and Abby felt as though he were looking right through her. "O'Brain. He didn't kill Colonel Shelly." Gibbs looked irritated as he tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"I know Gibbs, we found DNA to prove that Lt. Michaels killed Shelly, not O'Brian. We closed that case a few weeks ago."

"I… I… No!" Gibbs shoved Abby back as he stood again and resumed pacing.

Abby cried out as the corner of her desk dug into her side as she landed against it. She managed to get her feet underneath herself and then pull herself back up to a standing position.

"Abigail, are you alright?" Ducky walked in just in time to see Abby stumble as Gibbs pushed past.

"I'm… I'm fine." She looked to Gibbs. "Something isn't right, he'd never… he wouldn't ever… push me."

"Why don't you call Anthony down here, just in case." Ducky spoke quietly. He'd never seen Jethro so visibly agitated without a good reason. And Abby was right, he'd never push her.

Abby nodded and picked up the phone.

"Alright Jethro, let's have a look, shall we?" Ducky used a loud, firm tone as he ushered Gibbs back to the chair at Abby's desk.

"O'Brian…"

"Yes, yes. I know. You can tell me all about it, but I would like to have a look at you first." Ducky grabbed hold of his wrist and watched the clock on the wall as he made a mental note of Gibbs' racing pulse. Next he pulled out a thermometer and placed it between Gibbs' lips before looking at his eyes, noting how dilated his pupils were. The thermometer beeped and Ducky frowned. "You must be dreadfully uncomfortable with a temperature of 102.6. Can you tell me how you feel Jethro?"

"I… I don't know." Gibbs knew he didn't feel well, but for some reason he couldn't quite come up with the words to describe how he felt.

"It's alright, Jethro. We'll take care of you. Anthony," Ducky looked up when Tony walked in. "I think you'd better help me get him to the hospital. This isn't the flu."

"Oh my God, is he going to be okay?" Abby twisted her fingers together nervously and bounced on her toes.

"How long has he been like this?"

"Um, he started acting strange maybe 10-15 minutes ago? He seemed off when I called him. He didn't seem focused on what I was saying and then I noticed that he was sweating and just… he wasn't himself. That's when I called you. What's wrong with him, Ducky?"

"I'm not sure. Let's get him to the parking garage. Anthony, will you run ahead and pull a car around?"

"On it," Tony replied automatically. He looked between Gibbs and Ducky. "On it, Ducky."

Abby helped Ducky as they walked Gibbs to the elevator. He was leaning heavily on her, and Abby noticed as his footsteps began to slow. "Come on, Gibbs." She tried to keep her voice from shaking. "Just a few more steps."

"O'Brian…"

"I know, bossman. I know."

* * *

Abby sat upright in the hospital chair and stared straight ahead. Her toes were taping lightly on the floor, and her fingers twisted nervously, tapping on the armrest of the chair as they waited for word on Gibbs.

"Relax, my dear. He's in good hands." Ducky wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

"I know, I just… I hate this, you know? The waiting."

"I know, it shouldn't…" Ducky paused when a doctor stepped into the waiting room carrying a clipboard.

"You're here for Agent Gibbs, yes?"

"Yes!" Abby jumped up and both Tony and Ducky joined her.

"I'm Doctor Stewart, the attending physician here in the ER. We've run a tox screen, and found a high level of Doxepin Hydrochloride in his system. Do you know if he has a history of depression or anxiety?"

"He does not. I'm his primary physician."

"Well, without knowing exactly how much he's taken, or when, we went ahead and pumped his stomach, though there wasn't much that came up. But at this point, all we can offer is supportive care for any symptoms. Depending on his dosage, it will be out of his system within 8 to 24 hours."

"Can we take him home?" Tony asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"Would it be harmful to his health? He didn't take that… Dox-uh…"

"Doxepin Hydrochloride," Ducky supplied.

"Thanks. He didn't take that… that medication. I'm concerned for his safety." _Not to mention your own when he comes to and realizes he's in a hospital._

"We can assign security to his door if you like."

"I can stay with him." Ducky suggested. "If it's just a waiting game, I'm sure he'd much rather be in his own bed, and I can monitor his symptoms."

Stewart glanced at his pager as it went off. "Well, I guess it'll give me a free bed. Ok, I'll discharge him into your care. He's hooked up to an IV to give him a little extra fluid as he was a bit dehydrated. He can go home in an hour or so. But bring him back immediately if you are unable to wake him, or he suffers a seizure as that can be dangerous."

Abby stepped forward. "But he'll be okay?"

The doctor hesitated a moment as he took in her short skirt and skull and crossbones tee. "Yes. Yes, he'll be fine."

"Can I see him now?"

"Yes, he's just around the corner in the first exam room."

Abby didn't wait for the others; she hurried down the hall and turned the corner. She found Gibbs' room and went in quietly. She rested her hand on his cheek and found that he was still warm.

"Here, I've brought a cool rag." A nurse walked in with a rag and bowl of water.

"Thanks." Abby took the rag and dipped it in the cool water before sweeping it lightly across his forehead and down the side of his face. She then moved it to the other side of his face, running it down along his neck before returning it to the bowl again. "Gibbs?"

Gibbs blinked up at her, but said nothing.

"You're going to be okay, okay?" Abby returned the cloth to his forehead. "The doctors pumped your stomach, and you'll feel better soon. I promise. Just focus on feeling better."

Gibbs closed his eyes again, letting sleep take over as her soothing voice wrapped around him and kept him calm.

"I've signed the papers to take him home once he's finished with the IV. How's he doing?" Ducky pulled up a chair to sit beside Abby.

"Okay. He opened his eyes for a bit, but then closed them again."

"It's for the best that he sleep it off. Tony is calling Fornell, and then will help to bring Jethro home. He's also arranging for an agent to be there at all times."

"Who did this, Ducky?"

"I don't know, dear, but I have faith that they will be found."

* * *

"Abby?"

Abby looked up at Tony.

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Okay."

"I need you back at NCIS. I want you to go through Gibbs garbage and see if you can find his coffee cup, and the food wrappers from today. The doctor isn't sure how long it's been in his system, so test everything."

"It wouldn't have been from lunch. We shared lunch."

"Test it anyway."

"But I would've gotten sick-"

"Abby!" Tony ran his hands over his face. Shouting at Abby wouldn't make things any easier. "Abby. I know, I just… it would make me feel better if you tested everything, okay?"

"Okay," Abby nodded. "Keep me updated, okay?" Abby let go of Gibbs hand and stood.

"You know I will." Tony pulled her into a hug hoping she would accept it as an apology for shouting. When her arms wrapped around him in return he knew she had. He watched her cast one last look back at Gibbs before she headed out the door. He then moved to where she had been sitting and looked at his boss. "We'll get whoever did this boss."

Tony sat with him for an hour before a nurse came in with papers releasing Gibbs into Ducky's care.

"How are we supposed to get him home?"

"Help me get him into a wheelchair and we'll bring him to the car. I'll need you to help him in."

Tony nodded. "Boss?" He gave Gibbs' shoulder a slight shake. "Boss, we need you to get up now."

Gibbs groaned and his eyes fluttered open.

"That's it, Jethro." Ducky encouraged and maneuvered a wheelchair closer to the bed.

"Maybe… maybe this isn't a good idea." The nurse watched as Tony worked to get Gibbs into the chair.

"Trust me," Tony said. "You don't want him here when he's feeling better."

It was difficult to get Gibbs to the car, but they did it and Ducky sat in the back seat with him, fussing over him the way he fussed over any of the team when they were injured or sick. Tony secretly loved it when Ducky or any of the team fussed over him. He didn't feel like he deserved it, but at the same time he'd never experienced as a child and it made him feel loved. Gibbs on the other hand, he knew, hated it when Ducky fussed over him. He'd put up with Abby fussing over him for a little while, Tony figured it was mostly because she'd pout otherwise and no one could resist Abby's pout. But whenever anyone else tried to fuss over him, Gibbs would push them away, claim he was fine and limp away to lick his wounds like the tough soldier he liked to think of himself as.

Getting Gibbs up the stairs to his bedroom was a difficult task and in the end Tony had to half carry him up to keep them from both tumbling backwards down the stairs.

Gibbs cried out in pain when Tony set him down and pushed his legs under the covers.

"Thank you Anthony, I'll take it from here." Ducky carried his bag in and placed it on a tall dresser near the door.

"I'll be downstairs. I've got some phone calls to make."

"I'll be down once I've got him settled."

Ducky watched as Gibbs writhed in pain, his muscles tense as they cramped. "Jethro," he whispered. "I need you to take a deep breath for me, can you do that?" Ducky wiped the sweat from his friends' brow as Gibbs struggled to take a slow, deep breath. "That's it. Keep doing that for me. You'll get through this, don't worry, my friend."

Within an hour the cramping had subsided and Ducky checked his temperature again. It was still high, but Gibbs seemed to be resting more comfortably. He closed the door quietly and headed downstairs to where Tony was pacing in Gibbs' kitchen.

"Director has Fornell leading the case now. Says the team can work the case, but that we're too emotionally involved to run the case. Such bullshit. BULLSHIT. Like Fornell doesn't have a personal connection to Gibbs? They've got the same ex-wife for Christ-sake!"

"Anthony." Ducky rested his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Perhaps the director is right. Maybe Fornell isn't the best to run the case, but the team; you're all too emotionally involved to be in charge."

"What a fucking nightmare. I _knew _something like this would happen. I knew it! But he wouldn't fucking listen, because he's Gibbs and he likes to think that nothing will ever happen to him _because _he's Gibbs. God, just once I would like to smack the shit out of him to make him realize that he is not untouchable."

"Get in line, Tony. I've been waiting to slap some sense into him myself for quite some time."

"He'll be okay?" Tony dropped into a chair at the dining room table with a sigh.

Ducky moved past him to put the water kettle on to boil and pulled out two cups, rinsing the dust from the inside after glancing at the single mug that Gibbs always used. "He'll be fine. Have you heard from Abby?"

"No, I called to check in an hour ago. She went through all the garbage cans in the building where Gibbs might have walked by and tossed his coffee cup. She's been labeling them and running tests. He didn't have coffee when he was in the lab with her when he started getting sick. I've bagged up his garbage, the bourbon, anything he could've been drugged with here."

"She's holding up okay?"

"She's trying. I think she's keeping herself busy enough to keep from thinking about him much. McGee and Ziva are in the office checking phone records and whatever else Fornell has them doing. I told them to keep an eye on her."

"Her lab is her sanctuary," Ducky commented as he poured the steaming water, making them each a cup of tea. "She'll be fine until she's got some quiet time to process. It's then that I worry about her."

"Hopefully he'll be back on his feet by then." Tony sipped his tea.

"He's Gibbs. He'll pull right through, I'm certain. It's just a tough 24 hours for him-"

Both men jumped up when they heard a crash upstairs. They raced up the stairs, Tony with his gun in hand. They paused in the doorway and Tony holstered his gun when he saw Gibbs writhing in pain, the alarm clock knocked to the floor.

Ducky pushed past Tony as he stood frozen in the doorway. "Will you fetch a glass of water, Anthony?"

"Yeah… yeah."

Ducky sat beside his friend and spoke softly to him. "Jethro, settle down."

Tony returned quickly with the water and then stepped outside the room to let Ducky take over.

"Here, have a sip of water. It will help flush the medication from your system."

Gibbs eagerly accepted the water before falling back on the pillow. "When… when will it stop?"

"Hopefully by morning, let's get you to the bathroom. Should I call Anthony in to help?"

"No." Gibbs shook his head.

With Ducky's help, Gibbs shuffled to the bathroom and then back again, collapsing on the bed as soon as it was within reach. His legs cramped again and he muffled a moan by throwing his arm across his face. He was vaguely aware of Ducky's calming words, telling him to breathe deeply and then helping him to drink a little more water.

His body felt weird, like he was floating and although he could feel the pain in him limbs as his muscles tensed, he felt disconnected from himself, from everything.

Then, as suddenly as the muscle cramps had started, they disappeared. He felt the bed dip beside him, opposite where Ducky was sitting. A familiar shape appeared and Gibbs sighed at the sudden wave of relief that washed over him.

"Shannon." A smile tugged on his lips before he realized her could see through her and he sobered instantly, and a look of panic crossed his face. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked to Ducky. "Am I dying, Duck?"

"Heavens no, it'll be a rough night, but you'll be just fine. We just need to wait it out, I'm afraid. Try and get some sleep." Ducky pressed his stethoscope to Gibbs' chest and listened to his heart beat. It was faster than normal, but at this point Ducky wasn't worried about any further complications. All they could do was wait.

Gibbs wasn't convinced, the pain he felt throughout his body - he was certain he wouldn't make it. His muscles ached and even he knew he was burning up. Suddenly he found himself wondering where Abby was, though he couldn't quite come up with her name. He couldn't remember her words, but he remembered her husky voice as she spoke to him and how he had felt calm when she was near. "I'll never see her again," Gibbs looked back to where Shannon had been, but had since disappeared. "I don't want to be alone. I need her. Where is she?" It came out as a choked cry.

"I know Jethro. I know you miss her." Ducky patted his hand. It felt like déjà vu, going through Jethro's grief over Shannon and Kelly a second time, the first being after the explosion that left him with retrograde amnesia and sent him packing to Mexico. "You'll feel better in the morning, I promise."

"No..." Gibbs writhed in pain, his muscles cramping. "I just… I _need _her."

* * *

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

_I thought about letting people hang on the last chapter – just for my own shits and giggles, but… I'm not. Feel special._

_

* * *

_"_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…"_ Abby took the stairs two at a time up to Gibbs' bedroom, but was stopped by Tony at the door. It wasn't the first time Gibbs had been hurt, or even poisoned, but it was the first time he'd been so… so un-Gibbs. And the fact that he had pushed her had scared her more than anything – though finding out that he was under the influence of a psychotropic agent was slightly reassuring in a at-least-he-didn't-mean-it sort of way.

"Abby, you've got to calm down. Breathe." Tony pulled her into a reassuring hug. "He'll be alright; Ducky just says it's a matter of waiting until the drug passes through his system. He should be fine by morning."

"I know, it's just… it's Gibbs. He doesn't get sick."

"He's not sick, Abbs. He was poisoned."

"I know! That's even worse. Who would do this? It's Gibbs! He saves people. He's a good man." Abby sighed, and buried her face against Tony's neck. "I'm just… I'm so worried."

"I know, but he'll be-" Tony was cut off by Ducky stepping into the hallway.

"Abigail." Ducky opened his arms for a hug. "He's resting comfortably. His fever is still higher than I'd like, but has come down a bit. The drug has been causing severe muscle cramps and hallucinations. It should be through his system by morning."

"Hallucinations?"

"It shook him up a bit, but he seems to have fallen asleep. It's probably for the best. You can see him if you like."

Abby nodded, unsure of what to say. She pushed the door open and stepped in. Though it was still early evening, his room was dark. The shades were drawn, and the lights were off. His breathing was labored but his eyes were closed and appeared to be resting comfortably. Abby edged quietly around the side of the bed and picked up a wet cloth before running it gently across his forehead.

"You're here." Gibbs blinked a few times hearing the floor boards creak. A smile spread across his face. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"He was hallucinating that Shannon was here earlier." Ducky whispered softly

Abby's eyes shot up to look at Ducky. "He thinks I'm Shannon?"

"I'm sorry, dear." Ducky gave her a sad smile. He was well aware of her feelings for Gibbs. "It would seem so."

Gibbs reached out to Abby, grabbing her hand, trying to pull her down to him. "I need you. Don't go," he choked out through gritted teeth. He writhed in pain as his muscles cramped, his head dropping back on the pillow.

Abby fought back the tears as she let Gibbs pull her into an awkward hug. She started to pull back, but hesitated when Gibbs seemed to panic, holding her tighter and mumbling something about not wanting to let her go.

"Abigail, it might be for the best if you stay with him. It will make it easier for him to get through the night while the drugs work through his system. But if you aren't comfortable, I know he'll understand once he's back to his normal self."

"No. No, I'll stay. I'll be alright." Abby looked back at Gibbs. His eyes were closed again, though his grip on her arm hadn't relaxed.

Ducky nodded. "I'll be in the guest room and will check back in later. Just try to keep him quiet and relaxed."

"Okay." Abby tried to stand up, but Gibbs wouldn't let go. "I won't go anywhere, Gibbs." Abby used her free hand to brush across his forehead. "I just want to take my boots off."

His eyes stayed closed, but after a brief moment his grip relaxed and Abby was able to remove her boots, though he kept a hand on her arm to make sure she didn't leave. When she was done she sat on the edge of the bed, but Gibbs pulled her down to lay beside him. He urged her to move close to him, and Abby complied. She rested her head on his chest and cried quietly as he stroked her hair and held her tight.

* * *

Abby woke the next morning to Gibbs' fingers pulling softly through her hair and Ducky's voice as he drew blood from Gibbs' arm.

"Morning, my dear." Ducky smiled at her when she blinked her eyes open and slowly registered where she was.

"Morning, Ducky." Abby pulled out of Gibbs grasp and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are the drugs out of his system yet?" She turned to face Gibbs and picked up his hand. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay." Gibbs gave her hand a little squeeze.

"I need you to run his blood back in the lab to be sure, but it should be cleared from his system by now." Ducky held up a small bag with two vials of blood.

"Alright," Abby slipped into her boots and then turned to give Gibbs a shy smile. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Ducky kissed her cheek and gave her shoulder a squeeze before giving her the small vials of blood.

Gibbs listened to Abby's footsteps down the stairs and then propped himself up in bed, fighting a groan as his muscles protested. He felt better, though his muscles felt weak from the constant cramping the night before. "She okay?"

"Oh, you know how she gets when you're hurt." Ducky slipped a thermometer into Gibbs' mouth. "She'll be fine, though I think the fact that you thought she was Shannon hit her a tad harder than she's let on. But you know Abby, she'll be her usual self as soon as we find out who has done this to you."

"Shannon…?" Gibbs tried to pull the thermometer from between his lips, but Ducky stopped him.

"Yes, you thought you saw Shannon and then asked if you were dying. It's a common side effect, both hallucinations and confusion. I told you that you'd be fine and then you went on about how you'd never see her again. Once Abigail arrived, you… _oh_. Oh dear." It suddenly dawned on Ducky as he realized that Gibbs had known it was Abby all along.

"No!" Gibbs struggled to sit up and slide his legs over the edge of the bed. He needed to clear things up with her.

"Lay back Jethro, she's busy in the lab. She'll be back." Ducky checked the thermometer and was pleased to find his temperature within a normal range.

"I tried to open up to her… I… I knew it was Abby that was here last night. I saw Shannon at some point and I thought I was going to die, but then Abby showed up, and I-" The previous night was a blur in his mind.

"No matter." Ducky helped Gibbs to settle back under the covers. "You need to drink a bit of water and then try and get some rest. No need to get yourself worked up over it, she'll be back before long."

* * *

"Ducky?" Abby called softly as she headed up the stairs towards Gibbs' room. The door opened, and Ducky motioned for her to step inside.

Gibbs struggled to sit again. "Here," he reached out for her. "I need you here."

Abby gave Ducky a panicked look, his blood showed no sign of the drugs, but if he was still seeing her as Shannon…?

"Duck, will you give us a minute?"

"If the blood tests were clear, I can head home." He gave Abby a questioning look. Abby responded with a nod. "Then I will leave you under Abby's watchful eye. Get some rest and call me if you need anything. There is an FBI agent downstairs should you need immediate assistance for anything."

Gibbs thanked him one last time and then looked to Abby as soon as the door closed behind Ducky. "Over here. Please… Abby?"

Abby gave a sigh of relief as he called her by her name, edged closer to the bed and picked up Gibbs' hand. "You feeling okay?"

"No."

Abby's eyes widened. "Then Ducky should stay!"

"Relax, Abbs. I feel bad about last night…"

"It's okay, really. You were… seeing things, I guess, and in so much pain. It's okay." Abby sat on the side of the bed and gave his hand an extra squeeze. "I'm just glad you're feeling better now."

"I needed-" Gibbs was cut off when his bedroom door opened again.

"The next time you steal one of my cases, remind me that poisoning you doesn't work. How you feeling?" Fornell leaned against the door frame with a slight smirk. "Abby," he acknowledged her with a friendly smile.

"I've felt better." Gibbs gave Abby an apologetic look. He wasn't interested in what Fornell had to say, not until he could clear things up with her, and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with an audience.

"I hear it was a pretty rough night. Any idea on how you were slipped the drug?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Not sure."

"It had to have been your coffee." Abby looked at Gibbs and then at Fornell. "Gibbs and I… we had a quick lunch together yesterday. I got a big sandwich at the deli on the yard and we split it. I would have been sick too, if it had been the sandwich. Plus, I noticed something was wrong. It wouldn't work quite that fast if it had been in your sandwich."

"It wasn't my coffee," Gibbs grunted. "I got my coffee from the same place I always do."

"I know you like to think NCIS is better at security than the FBI," Fornell looked annoyed, "but Abby may be right. If you go there every day, it would be easy to predict. Was it the same barista?"

"The same what?"

"The same person who makes your coffee?" Fornell sighed.

"Yes? No? I wasn't paying attention to who made it."

Fornell turned his attention to Abby. "Do you know the people who work there?"

"Some of them," Abby nodded. "I know the manager, Amanda. She could tell you who was working and when."

"Why don't you have her give me a call." Fornell handed her a business card. "I've already got DiNozzo pulling the security cameras for all the entrances and exits for the yard, but will you ask him to do the deli as well."

"Yeah sure." Abby tucked the card in her pocket, but made no move to get up until Fornell cleared his throat. "Oh, you mean right now. Yeah, sure."

"You were just there; Fornell can do his own errands."

"No, it's okay. He wouldn't even know who Amanda is and if the person who did do this to you is still there, then it might scare them away. We need to get whoever did this to you."

"Take someone with you, don't go alone."

"I'll be-"

"No Caf-Pow! either."

Abby froze as she stood to leave. "_What?_"

"I'm serious, Abbs. If whoever poisoned me is working at the deli they could poison you as well."

"But… but they aren't after me."

"They could use you to get to me."

"Gibbs," Abby tried not to panic. "I can't just _not_ have Caf-Pow!" Just the idea of going cold turkey from her favorite caffeine source made her jittery.

"Get it somewhere else."

"Oh, right. Of course." Abby shook the thought of no Caf-Pow from her mind. "I'll come check on you later, okay?"

Gibbs nodded.

"Take care of him," Abby whispered as she passed Fornell.

"You know," Fornell glanced down the hallway to see that Abby was gone. "I still can't figure out what you did to deserve her loyalty."

"Me either. What do you need, Tobias."

"Well, I'd like to find whoever is pissed at you so I can get back to my regularly scheduled life."

"I didn't ask for your help," Gibbs grunted.

"Yeah, I know. If you had, this might have never happened. Suck it up and let the closest thing you have to a friend help you. Plus, I agreed to give our ex full custody while we figure this out, so if you could be cooperative so I could have time with my daughter back, I would be most appreciative."

* * *

Abby took an extra minute to collect her thoughts before she entered NCIS. She tapped her fingers against the elevator railing as she waited for the elevator to bring her to the squad room. She had considered going right to the deli to pull Amanda aside and talk to her, but Gibbs had asked her to bring Tony along and seeing as it was his safety that was in question, she was going to follow his instructions to the very best of her ability.

She wanted to yell at him, tell him _I told you so,_ but she knew that it would be futile. She had known – felt it in her gut – that something was wrong the past few weeks. All the accidents that he had claimed were _nothing_, they had all seemed suspicious to her. But Gibbs listened to no one but himself and dwelling on the fact that she was right and he was wrong was a waste of time.

Tony was at his desk when Abby stepped out of the elevator and he gave her a questioning look.

"He's okay. Worn out, but the drugs are out of his system so he'll be fine." She wasn't sure if she was reassuring Tony or herself. Either way, she wasn't sure it worked. "Fornell wants me to go to the deli to talk to Amanda, see who was working yesterday, and then he also wanted me to ask you if you could pull security from the deli."

"I did, and the building next to it. Just in case."

Abby nodded and her voice lowered to a soft whisper. "We have to find who did this, Tony."

"We will."

"Yeah. Where are McGee and Ziva?" Abby glanced at their empty desks.

"The director wants them to keep working the Maldonado case until we have something a little more concrete with Gibbs, and even then, I think he's letting Fornell take charge since Gibbs obviously can't work it himself."

"But the rest of us-"

"I know, but come on; let's go ask around at the deli. Did Gibbs see who made his coffee?" Tony nodded towards the elevator.

"No, he didn't pay attention."

"You probably shouldn't get Caf-Pow! from there either," he pushed the down button and they waited for the silver doors to open.

"Gibbs said the same thing."

"He's just being cautious."

"I wish he'd be cautious over himself too. I've been telling him the past few weeks that things have been hinky – that flat tire, the spray paint on his car? I told him it wasn't random, but he just kept saying that it was kids, or random, but I told him it wasn't. I _told_ him." Abby didn't understand why he hadn't listened to her, though the fact that he had involved Fornell told her that he wasn't completely oblivious to the threats he'd been receiving. "What if we hadn't gotten him to the hospital or if he had gotten more of the drug? He could've died, Tony. Because he's stubborn and bull headed and, and… ugh."

"Relax." Tony pulled her into a tight hug and ran his hand back and forth across her back. "He's just being Gibbs; you know what he's like. And he was with you when he started acting funny, and you called Ducky right away. You did good."

"Thanks, Tony." Abby pressed her face against Tony's chest and waited as the elevator took them to the ground floor.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they stepped out into the days' sun, and walked the few blocks to the Navy yard deli. It wasn't busy, so Tony hung back while Abby waited in line. She didn't recognize the woman working the cash register, but she seemed to recognize Abby, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before she smiled. "Hello, you get a Caf-Pow!, right?"

"Usually, but I'm actually here to talk to Amanda. Is she in?"

"She just ran to storage because we're running low on napkins. She should be here – oh – here she is." The woman nodded toward the door and Abby turned to see Amanda walk in with large box. "Amanda, do you have a second?"

"Abby! Let me just get these behind the counter," Amanda smiled at her and circled behind the counter to set the box down. "Need a Caf-Pow!"

"No thank you, I just had one." Abby smiled politely and waited for Amanda to walk back around to stand beside her.

"How can I help you?"

"Can we… can we step outside a moment?" Abby nodded back at Tony.

"Oh? Is everything okay?"

"Let's step outside."

"Okay, sure." Amanda turned back to the cashier. "I'll be right back. You good on your own again for a few minutes."

"No problem," the woman smiled at them.

Abby waited until they were outside and the door had been shut firmly behind them. "We've got a little problem. I can't go into much detail, but can I get a list of employees and when they worked over the last few days?"

"I… sure. Any specific day, or time you are wondering?"

"No, not at this point. I'm also suppose to give you FBI Agent Tobias Fornell's card. He'd like you to call him at some point today, and actually, he's the one who would like to see the employee list."

"Abby… You're scaring me."

"You don't need to be scared," Abby soothed. "We're just trying to figure a few things out. And if you can tell us who was working when, it'll be extremely helpful for us."

"You hire anyone new lately?" Tony interrupted. He couldn't help but be nosy.

"Cheryl. She's the one at the cash register right now. She's been with us a week. Why?"

"Just curious. And if you could do us a favor." Tony upped the charm, flashing her a dazzling smile that occasionally got him a free extra shot in his latte. "Keep it between us and the FBI. I'd hate to worry your employees over nothing, you know?"

"I, sure… are you sure there is nothing you can tell me? Maybe I can help in some way."

"We aren't quite sure what we're looking for at this point, but if we have any other questions or think you might be able to help, we'll be sure to let you know. But if you could contact Agent Fornell as soon as possible, it' would be a great help to all of us." Tony's smile widened impossibly further and Abby found herself wondering if there was anyone on earth he couldn't charm.

"Oh, absolutely." Amanda nodded and gave Tony a shy smile. "I'm off in two hours, would that be okay? Or should I call sooner?"

"Two hours is fine." Abby needed to stop Tony before he dug himself too deep.

"Can I get either of you a coffee or anything? I feel so bad if something happened in my deli."

"No, we're good. Thank you. Maybe another time." Abby grabbed Tony's sleeve and gave a little tug. "Come on, Tony. We should get back to the office."

"Yeah, sure. Have a good day, Amanda."

Abby waited until they were back inside NCIS before she slapped his arm. "Do you need to flirt with _everyone_ like that?"

"It's the power of being a DiNozzo, Abbs. You never know when she might come in handy, and if she thinks we've got a little '_something something'_ going on, she'll be more likely to cooperate with us."

"The power of being a DiNozzo?" It was the first genuine smile he'd seen on Abby's face since Gibbs had gotten ill. "Anything else I should know?"

"You might not believe it now, but who do you think she'll want to cooperate with now? Fornell? If he hits a roadblock with her, I've got it all under control."

"I guess." Abby could see his point. "So what now?"

"A billion hours of security footage. You still keep popcorn in your lab?"

"Of course."

* * *

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Fornell stood a few feet back from the open doorway leading into conference room one. His secretary had called to let him know that Amanda Scott had arrived and was waiting for him. They had chatted briefly that morning and she had agreed to come in once her shift had finished. He watched as her fingers drummed nervously on the table as she waited. "Amanda Scott?" He cleared his throat.

"Yes. That's me." Amanda started to stand.

"I'm Special Agent Fornell, thank you for coming in to talk to me. Please, have a seat."

Amanda shifted in her seat. "Abby said it was important that I call you. I hope everything is okay?"

"I just have a few questions, it shouldn't take long." Fornell pulled out a small note pad and pen and then took a seat opposite her.

"Here's the list of employees, their phone numbers and their schedule the past week. I wasn't sure how many days you wanted. If that's not enough, then I can go back further." Amanda Scott pushed a manila folder across the table to Fornell and then twisted a section of her blonde hair around her finger nervously.

"Thank you." Fornell pulled the pieces of paper from the folder and looked them over. There weren't many employees, only eight, and three of them hadn't worked at all the past three days. "Is anyone a new hire?"

Amanda thought for a moment. "Cheryl. Cheryl Lavery. I hired her about a week ago."

"Did you post an ad looking for new employees, or did she stop in with a resume?"

"Um, we are always accepting résumés. We posted an ad about three weeks ago online, but weren't in much of a rush to hire. One of the girls was got pregnant so we needed a replacement. In the mean time everyone else was enjoying having the extra hours. Then things got a little crazy, schedule-wise and we did a few interviews here and there, but everyone was interested in full-time hours which we couldn't offer. Cheryl came in about ten days ago, and was really eager for a job, but she didn't mind part time. Her schedule was flexible and that's what was most appealing about hiring her. She could work mornings, afternoons or evenings. I did a quick interview and hired her. That was about it."

"Where did she find out about the job?"

Amanda thought for a moment. "You know, I didn't ask."

"It's okay. Did she mention knowing anyone on the Navy Yard?"

"No." Amanda shook her head. "She just said she was looking for a little extra income. Did… did she do something wrong?"

"Not that we're aware of. Have you noticed anything? Has she been acting strange lately?"

"No, not at all. I mean, she's always eager to pick up extra hours, but in this economy, who isn't? And it's just that you're so interested in her."

"Just going through one at a time." Fornell scanned the schedule and looked at who else had been working the previous morning. "What about Maria Price?"

"She's been here almost as long as I have. No one has been here longer, except me."

"Does Maria know people around the Navy yard?"

"Oh yes," Amanda laughed. "I can't think of anyone she doesn't know! She doesn't know everyone by name, but if she doesn't know their name, she knows them by their coffee order."

"So she knows Agent Gibbs?"

"Agent Gibbs? The NCIS agent always buying Abby's Caf-Pow!"

"That would be the one. And on a side note, how much Caf-Pow! does he buy her?" He was momentarily distracted. He had never put much thought to the relationship between Gibbs and Abby, but lately he hadn't seen Gibbs without Abby being nearby and it had started him thinking.

"Oh gosh, at least one a day. Usually two. Sometimes it's as many as three or four, but I assume that's only when they are working a tough case. When he's buying Caf-Pow! in the early hours of the morning you know they've caught a tough case."

"That's a lot."

"He gets a discount at this point. But yes, Maria knows Agent Gibbs. We pretty much all know to ready a drip coffee, no milk or sugar and a Caf-Pow! the moment he walks in the door. Is Agent Gibbs okay?"

"Let me assure you, Agent Gibbs is fine. And I thank you for your time, Miss Scott. I'll be in touch if I have any further questions. And for now, I'd appreciate if you'd keep quiet about our conversation."

"Oh absolutely. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help."

"I will." Fornell stood and gathered all the papers that Amanda had brought with. "And I appreciate that you came down to the FBI to talk."

"No problem."

"I'll have an agent escort you out." Fornell opened the door and waved an agent over. "If you could escort Miss Scott out? And once again," he turned back to Amanda. "I appreciate your cooperation."

Fornell turned towards his office and once inside he shut the door. He dropped into the chair behind his desk and spread the papers across his desk. The first thing, he decided, was to put each of the deli's employee's names in a search to see if any of them had a criminal background. He found nothing on anyone except the speeding ticket Amanda was issued two years back. The employees had a mix of backgrounds – single mother, college students, and retired navy chef – no one stood out as being suspicious. He pulled bank records next, focusing on Cheryl Lavery, Maria Price and Amanda Scott – the three that were most likely to have had access to Gibbs' coffee the morning before. Amanda Scott hadn't been working, but as the store manager, it wasn't unusual for her to stop in from time to time. He glanced over their income, recent purchases, and scrubbed a hand over his face when nothing looked suspicious.

He glanced at the clock and wondered how far DiNozzo had gotten with the security footage, but first, he called to check in on his friend. He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Gibbs' cell number by memory.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

Gibbs sounded tired, and although he had seen him only a few hours prior, Fornell was still worried – though he'd never admit it. "You still alive?"

"Can't get rid of me that easily, Tobias. What do you want?"

"I thought I'd stop by again, I've got a few things for you to look at. You want me to bring anything? You hungry?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Come on over." Gibbs hung up before Fornell could say anything. His ornery attitude was a sure sign he was on the road to recovery and it put Tobias at ease.

Fornell decided against calling Tony, figuring he would call the moment he spotted anything. He checked his cell phone to make sure the volume was on and then grabbed his coat. He knew better than to show up at Gibbs' empty handed, so he stopped for a large pizza.

There were two cars parked outside Gibbs' house – one he recognized as Doctor Mallard's old Morgan, and the other looked to be an agency car.

The door was unlocked, not surprising considering the amount of people that were likely to be coming and going. And he nodded at the agent he had assigned who was sitting just inside the door and offered him a slice of pizza. He wasn't surprised to find Ducky puttering around the kitchen when he set the pizza on the counter, but he was surprised to find both Tony and Abby in Gibbs' room, showing him footage from the security tapes.

Gibbs was sitting up in bed, a pillow behind his back. His glasses were on, and he had papers spread across the bed. He had a laptop on his lap and Tony was pointing at something on the screen while Abby paced back and forth, obviously trying to work something out in her mind.

"Glad I was invited to this conference." Fornell leaned against the door frame and then took a step inside.

"Hey Fornell, you were our next stop if you weren't here when we showed up, and then you called and said you were coming over, so…" Abby explained. "It's fuzzy, but looks like one of the employee's may have dropped something in his cup before pouring the coffee. But it's really hard to tell. I've tried my best to enhance it, but this is the best I've got."

Gibbs swiveled the laptop on his lap so that Fornell could see the screen. Abby was right – it was fuzzy at best, but it looked as though there was something being put into the coffee cup just before coffee was being poured. From the hair, he could tell it was Cheryl Lavery.

"Looks like Cheryl Lavery. She's new. Do you know her?" Fornell handed over a print out of her photo and all the information he had gathered about her. "Single, from Boston. She moved here eight years ago after her mother died. She seemed to have held a steady job the past several years at a grocery store. Works there part time now and part time on the Navy Yard."

Gibbs took the photo. "I recognize her from the coffee shop, but I don't know her from anywhere else. Didn't know her name either. Any ideas?"

"No. I'm sure it wouldn't take much leaning to get her to break. She's scheduled to work tomorrow, thought I'd pay her a visit bright an early."

"Not without me, you won't."

"Gibbs!" Abby interrupted. "You need to get your rest. Recover."

"I'm fine Abbs, the drugs are out of my system. You ran the tests, you know that."

"Abby's right, boss." Tony shut his mouth the moment Gibbs looked at him with his eyes narrowed. "Right boss, you should probably talk to her."

"Don't be such a pushover, Tony. Listen to Fornell, Gibbs. He'll talk to her. You went through a lot last night, and you need your rest."

"I've been doing nothing _but_ resting. I'll rest tonight, tomorrow Tobias will pick me up and we'll go have a chat. You're the one that's been pushing me to do something about everything that's happened the past few weeks, and now I am."

"I was pushing you to do something _before _something like this happened. And now that it has, you need to take care of yourself. Fornell can talk to her, have Tony go with."

He could see she was about to snap, and he knew that telling her that he was fine was not what she wanted to hear, but he didn't need anyone pitying him and it was out before he could stop himself. "I'm _fine!_"

The minute it was out, he regretted it. Abby looked as though she had been slapped, and he hated knowing that he had caused her pain. "Abby," he sighed.

"No, never mind." Abby picked up her jacket from the foot of the bed and headed out the door.

"Was that necessary?" Tobias raised an eyebrow. "She cares about you, and only wants what's best."

Gibbs looked at Tony, silently telling him to go after her.

"I'm not interfering, boss. She needs time to cool down. You know she won't hold a grudge, but Fornell is right. She cares. It's why she gets so emotional. You know that."

"I'll let you listen in to the interview, but I won't allow you in the room. You know I can't compromise anything that she says by having you in the room. You're the victim, and I don't care that you're an Agent, I'm not bending the rules."

Gibbs sighed and let his head fall back against the headboard. "Fine."

"I'll be back to pick you up at seven tomorrow morning. Be ready, you know I hate to wait."

"DiNozzo." Gibbs called out. He waited for Fornell to leave before speaking again. "Will you check on her for me?"

"Yeah." Tony agreed.

"Ask her to come back."

"I'm not getting into this mess, sorry boss. You've got to talk to her yourself. I'll make sure she's okay though. I'll let you know if she's not." Tony didn't wait for an answer before he left.

* * *

Gibbs moved slowly down the stairs, his muscles protesting after over 24 hours mostly confined to his bed. "Did Abby say anything before she left last night?"

James, one of the FBI Agent assigned to his home, looked up briefly from the news paper. "Abby didn't leave until this morning, but she was pretty quiet. Didn't say much at all."

"What?"

"I mean, we chatted a little bit, she asked about my family-"

"She didn't leave?"

"She was rather upset last night, but once everyone else left, she settled on the couch. I heard her get up to check on you a few times during the night, and she started the coffee this morning before she left." James lifted a steaming coffee mug. "It's a bit strong, but…."

Gibbs went to the kitchen and opened his fridge to find cold pizza and a lunch sack with James' name on it. "Where is the rest of my food?"

"Oh, it was all packed up and taken in to be tested. Doctor Mallard said he would bring some things buy today. I don't think he was aware that you would be going in to the FBI so early."

Gibbs wasn't above cold pizza for breakfast, and thanks to Abby, the coffee had been made to his standards. He knew he would need to do something to make it up for her – an apology in his own way since the words _I'm sorry_ didn't come easy. Abby wasn't one to hold a grudge, and he knew that if he called and said he needed her to come over, she would show up without question, but he still felt bad. She didn't deserve to be treated the way he had treated her. If it had been Abby that had been poisoned, he would have kept her locked away until whoever was after her had been caught.

At three minutes past seven, Fornell pulled up and honked rather than walking up to the door and knocking. Gibbs was ready, and they rode silently the majority of the ride to the FBI headquarters.

"I had an agent bring her in. She was at work, and from what I hear she's rather frightened. She's been waiting approximately fifteen minutes so far. I'll check in with you at some point during my chat with her to see if you have any questions that I haven't already asked. I'll have an agent by the door, so don't even think about taking control and coming into the room."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Breaking into someone else's interrogation wasn't his style.

Everyone at the FBI seemed to be aware of Gibbs as he walked through the office. They moved out of the way as he and Fornell made their way through the building, and he heard a few people whispering as they passed by.

"No one except my team knows what's going on. Everyone else just gets nervous when we're working together. I have no idea why."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. It was the same at NCIS. If Fornell showed up uninvited it was the talk of the Navy Yard as it usually ended up in a pissing match between directors and that had everyone else on edge.

Gibbs stood on the other side of the glass, refusing a chair when Fornell offered. He pretended not to notice the look that Fornell shot the agent that was working the recording booth, and he waited, arms crossed in front of his chest as Fornell headed next door.

A woman Gibbs vaguely recognized as someone that worked at the deli on the yard sat in the room next door, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt as she waited for someone to talk to her. She flinched when Fornell opened the door, and jumped to her feet.

"I… I don't know what's going on. Why am I here? I… I haven't done anything."

Gibbs had to admit that she looked genuinely scared, but then again being in the FBI's interrogation room had that effect on most people.

"Have a seat Ms. Lavery." Fornell sat opposite her, with his back toward the one-way mirror/window, and opened up a file to look at the photo suggesting she was putting something into the coffee cup she then had handed to Gibbs.

"Please, what is this about?" Cheryl pleaded.

"You work on the Navy Yard?"

"Yes. Your agent picked me up from there at the beginning of my shift."

Fornell nodded. "Why made you want to work on the Yard?"

Cheryl looked bewildered. "I… I was looking for another part time job, and I saw they were hiring."

"Did you know anyone working on the yard before you applied?" Fornell continued to bombard her with general questions about the Yard, why she wanted to work there and how she found the job.

"So what you're saying, is that you knew no one on the yard. No specific reason for wanting a job there?"

Cheryl shook her head. "I just needed a job."

Fornell pulled the fuzzy photo out of the file and slid it across the table to her. "Can you tell me what's going on in this photo?"

"I… I'm pouring a cup of coffee."

"You poured a cup of coffee afterward. Maybe we need to see the video." Fornell stood and moved to the TV that was plugged in by the door. He showed her the clip of footage that looked like she was putting a powder into his coffee. It wasn't completely clear, but Fornell projected an air of confidence. "Looks like you're adding a little extra something that Agent Gibbs didn't order."

Cheryl froze and Fornell glanced back at Gibbs through the one way mirror as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Anything you'd like to share?"

She hesitated until she couldn't hold the tears back and she began to sob. "I… I didn't mean to do anything bad, I just… I couldn't say no to the money. It was a one-time thing and I… I'm so sorry."

"A one-time thing?" Fornell tried to coax more information out, but Cheryl couldn't talk through her sobs.

Fornell excused himself while she tried to regain her composure and headed back to where Gibbs was waiting. "Well, we've figured out whom, now once she's calmed down we can figure out the why."

Gibbs eyed the crying woman. "She's working for someone else."

"Probably," Fornell agreed and pressed his fingers to his temple. "Why do I get the feeling that this won't be easy?"

"I can talk to her."

Fornell ignored him and pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ron Sacks. "I need you to get a search warrant… yeah, I don't care if the judge has a 1pm tee time, you get him to sign off on it _now _or I find someone else who will. Call Agent DiNozzo and have him search the house with you." Fornell snorted and Gibbs could only imagine the rude remarks Agent Sacks had made about Tony.

Gibbs hated being left out of the investigation – forced to sit out and watch from the sidelines.

As Cheryl's tears subsided, Fornell went back in and handed her a box of tissues. "Ready to talk yet?"

"I honestly," Cheryl hiccupped, "I needed the cash. I was told it would make him sick, but that he would be fine, and I…" She hung her head in shame. "I knew I shouldn't have."

"How were you contacted?"

"I replied to an ad online for an 'odd job'. I thought it would be something like stuffing envelopes or dog walking."

"So you contacted them via email?"

"Yes. Every time they wrote me back it was from a different email."

"How did you decide what medication to use?"

"I found it in an envelope under the welcome mat at my place. I have no idea what it was."

"Then how did you know it would only make him sick – it could have been arsenic. We could be dealing with murder charges right now." Fornell asked a few more questions before closing his file. He would have more questions but for now he was content to hold her until he had more information.

He stepped outside and waved an agent in to take her away to a holding cell for the rest of the day and overnight.

Gibbs was ready to get back to NCIS by the time Fornell was done with his interrogation. He was out of his element at the FBI office – at least back at NCIS he could feel somewhat in control.

Gibbs needed time to think, he still felt a little fuzzy and his body ached, but what was keeping him from being able to completely focus, was the tension he'd created with Abby the night before. It had weighed heavily on him as he had fallen asleep, and he had slept fitfully, tossing and turning most of the night. He was surprised that he hadn't heard her checking in on him, though settled his nerves slightly that she hadn't been angry enough to leave.

He had finally managed to shake Fornell at the elevator – no one was allowed inside NCIS without proper identification or an escort – claiming he didn't need a body guard inside the building.

The elevator ride to the lab seemed to take longer than usual and although he'd never admit it, he was a little nervous. It wasn't often that Abby was angry or upset with him, but when she was he felt strangely unsettled.

Her music was on, though not at an unbearable level, and she was bent over her computer keyboard, her fingers moving faster than Gibbs could ever imagine typing. There were food wrappers, coffee cups and various other food items spread across her evidence table and he realized that the majority was from his house or his garbage can.

He entered her lab silently, stopping just behind her and placing the Caf-Pow! he had picked up earlier just beside her keyboard.

"Oh, thanks, but I'm not allowed-" She stopped when she glanced over her shoulder and recognized that it was him and not someone else.

"I picked it up outside of the Navy Yard."

"Thanks." Abby took a long sip and then set the large cup back down, her eyes darting back to the computer. "Are you feeling better? Did you guys come up with anything after talking to Cheryl?"

"Abby," Gibbs took half a step closer and waited until she was looking at him. "I'm not trying to down-play anything, but I'm fine now. I'm a little tired, but otherwise I feel fine."

"They weren't going to even let you out of the hospital, you should be resting."

"I know." Gibbs reached out and tugged her forward into a hug. "I know you're worried, and I appreciate that you care, but I needed to see Fornell talk to Cheryl to see if it could help me with figuring things out."

"Couldn't you have seen a video of it or something?" Abby made no move to leave his embrace.

He could have, but it would've taken forever before he finally got to see the tape. Instead of answering, he pulled back slightly so that she had to look at him. "I didn't mean to snap at you last night. I was frustrated with the situation, not at you." He brought his hand up to cup her face, his thumb sweeping across her cheek.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and her worry reflecting up at him. Leaning forward, Gibbs placed his lips just to the side of hers, letting his kiss linger at the small, content sigh that came from Abby as she tightened her hold on him. When he pulled back to look at her, her eyes were closed and it seemed natural to lean in to kiss her properly, but Gibbs held back. He couldn't start something like that at work, and with how high her emotions were running he knew she wouldn't push him away, but he felt like he would be taking advantage of the situation if he were to kiss her now.

At his hesitation, Abby hugged him again and pressed her face against his neck. "I just hate when you get hurt."

Gibbs tightened his hold on her. "Abbs, about the other night, when I was… sick."

"Gibbs, it's okay, you were drugged. And you didn't say or do anything, you know… awkward." Abby kept her face hidden against his neck.

"Ducky said-"

"Hey, boss… _oh_." Tony came to a halt just inside the lab and shifted back and forth from foot to foot as Abby extracted herself from Gibbs' arms and put a bit of distance between them. "Um, so I was uh,-"

"Spit it out DiNozzo, what'd you find."

"So Sacks and I searched her apartment and we found nothing linking her to you, no sign that she knows you except some white powder and a post-it note with your name on it. Doesn't look like her hand writing." Tony handed Abby two small evidence bags. "Sacks has her computer and a few other things, but he threw a fit about having it run at the FBI lab. These two pieces of evidence _might_ have fallen out of the box and into my pocket."

"You know Fornell is going to be all over my ass for that, right?" Gibbs didn't look the least bit upset.

Tony shrugged. "I figure you owed me for the time you put me in a body bag and let Fornell think he had the body."

Gibbs gave a quick nod and half smile. "True."

"Uh, anyway, Fornell is looking for you."

* * *

Abby was exhausted by the time she finished up the tests she was running on all the food from Gibbs' house as well as everything she had pulled from his garbage. She had been able to match the powder Tony had brought in as crushed Doxepin Hydrochloride tablets, and the hand writing belonged to Cheryl Lavery as well.

It was just past ten, and pitch black as she walked out to her car. She tried to think of any reason Cheryl Lavery would want to go after Gibbs. From what she had dug up on the woman, they had no connection besides both working on the Navy Yard. She didn't have any family in the area, and the family that she did have, she didn't seem to be much in contact with beyond the occasional Christmas card.

She fumbled with her keys before she managed to unlock the door and get it. She knew she needed to go home and get some sleep, but she hadn't seen Gibbs since Tony had interrupted them down in the lab. She knew that things between them would be okay, but she still felt as though there were things left unsaid.

She drove on auto-pilot as she made her way to Gibbs' house. She had heard from McGee that Fornell had taken him home shortly before dinner – he was okay, but it was obvious that he was tired. She knew that someone would've called her if something had happened, but she still needed to see for herself that he was fine.

When she pulled up in front of Gibbs' house she was surprised to see that the house was dark – not even the light in the basement was on. As she sat in her car, she was slowly aware that Gibbs' car was the only one in the driveway. She would have expected Fornell's car or at least a car belonging to the agent who was assigned his house.

Abby hurried up the front step and tested the door handle. When it didn't open, she knocked and rang the doorbell. It wasn't likely that Gibbs was in bed yet – even if he was tired, but in any case, the agent assigned to his house would likely open the door. She listened patiently, her ear pressed to the door, and then knocked again.

After a third knock, Abby returned to her car and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Gibbs' number, but his phone was off and she was directed right to voicemail. She fought against the panic that slowly started to take over her mind. She had been told that Gibbs was bring brought home – she knew there was no way he'd agree to a safe house, and they would have told her if they'd gone elsewhere.

She dialed Fornell's number and hung up when she got a busy signal. It settled her nerves slightly until it popped into her mind that something may have happened to Gibbs and he was getting together a group to find him. Tony was next.

"Hey Abbs, find something?"

"I can't find Gibbs!"

"He went home, he and Fornell left awhile ago."

"They aren't at his house. I just left NCIS, and decided to stop by. No one is here." Abby felt her eyes well up as she allowed herself to feel scared.

* * *

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

"Did you try calling him?"

"Yeah, it went right to voice mail. I called Fornell, but his phone was busy."

"Okay, why don't you head home, okay? I'll try calling Fornell again, and if I can't get through I'll call NCIS and have someone put his number in and find his location. Don't worry, I'm sure it's something simple, maybe they went to grab dinner or something?"

Something clicked. "Maybe they went to Fornell's place. I'm going to go look. I'll call you back."

"Ab-" Tony didn't get the chance to finish; all he heard was a dial tone.

Abby put her car into drive and peeled away from the curb in a move that would make Tony proud. Fornell didn't live far, and with her foot on the gas pedal it was an even shorter drive. She let out a sigh of relief when she pulled up to Fornell's house and spotted his car in the driveway. She pulled up, jumped from her car, and rushed up the front step. Fornell answered after one knock, his phone against his ear. He waved her in and told whoever he was talking to that he would call back in a few minutes.

"Abby? Is everything okay?"

Abby's hands were on her hips as she demanded to know where Gibbs was. "Where is he?"

Fornell nodded towards the stairs, "In Emily's room."

"And you guys didn't think to tell me? I went to his house after work, and thought something had happened because no one was there!"

"Sorry about that, with Cheryl in custody, I wanted him somewhere besides his house to see if whoever is after him would make a move and go back to his house. I've got agents inside the house, but they aren't supposed to answer the door."

"And you didn't think to keep me informed, because…?"

"I honestly didn't even think about it. I told everyone I was taking him home, to his home, because I'm not so sure it isn't someone on the yard the yard. Cheryl getting hired so quickly has me wondering if it isn't someone close by. I couldn't announce in the middle of the squad room that I was taking him here."

"His phone is off."

"I didn't want anyone to track his cell phone here."

"Rule three."

"What?"

"Rule three, never be unreachable." She gave him a look as though she was irritated that he didn't know Gibbs' rules. "Is he awake?"

"Probably. Go on up." Fornell waited until she was halfway up the stairs before pulling his phone out of his pocket and returning the phone call.

Abby went quietly up the stairs, and smiled when she saw drawings of what looked like a pony on the first door to the left. She could see that a light was on from the soft glow along the bottom of the door, and she assumed that meant he was still awake. She tapped her knuckles lightly against the door and then pushed it open a little ways. "You awake?"

"Abby?"

She fought to contain a smile at the sight of Gibbs tucked into a bed of frilly pink sheets. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Gibbs rolled onto his side and motioned for her to sit on the edge of the bed. "Is everything alright?"

"It is now, I went to your house and no one was there, and then I couldn't get a hold of you, and…" she waved her hands, "and yeah."

Gibbs reached out and took her hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"I was worried."

"I'm," he hated to say it, "fine."

"I know. Try and keep me in the loop though, okay?" Abby glanced up at him. She hated to sound like such a worrier, but Gibbs was well aware at how she worried about him and the team.

"I will."

"Staying with Fornell, huh? Did he tuck you in?" Abby tugged the covers up a little closer to his chin when Gibbs tried to get her to back down with a glare. She continued with the jokes, eventually coaxing him into a little playful banter which helped her to calm down and relax.

Abby doubled over with laughed when Gibbs made a snide remark about Fornell's skills as a housewife, complaining that the service hadn't been up to par.

As he watched Abby fight to breathe through her laughter, Gibbs gave a low chuckle. He loved it when she just let loose, and her genuine happiness spread to him.

Abby gave a soft sigh and shook her head. Her gaze dropped to her knees as she slowly regained her composure. "But you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm feeling okay." Somehow in their short exchange, Gibbs managed to scoot over and tugged her down to lay beside him on the small bed.

"No more muscle cramps, no dizziness?"

Gibbs turned his head to press his lips to her forehead. "No, no muscle cramps and I haven't been dizzy at all. Ducky said that once the drugs were flushed from my system, I shouldn't have any more symptoms and I haven't." Gibbs took a softer approach, knowing that Abby would continue to ask if he was okay. He still felt bad about snapping at her the night before.

"Okay." Abby draped an arm across his torso and pulled herself in close. "I'm sorry I keep asking."

"No you aren't, I've known you long enough to know you. You do the same thing every time anyone on the team gets hurt. It's just you, it's alright."

"You're just… you're Gibbs. Stuff like _this_ doesn't happen to you. Tony, maybe. But not you. I guess it's just thrown me for a loop."

Gibbs didn't have a response to that, so he held her close and kissed her forehead again.

Abby lay quietly, soaking in the warmth from his body and listening to his steady heart-beat below her ear. She looked around the small bedroom, and took in the massive amount of pink: pink walls, pink sheets, pink ponies… and it suddenly dawned on her that Emily was the same age that Kelly was when she had died.

"Is it hard to spend a night in a room like this?"

Gibbs lay silently for a while and Abby was just about to distance herself and apologize when he spoke. "That small pony, the one on the shelf," he pointed to the shelf beside the door. "Kelly had that same one. She named it sunshine because it was so sunny the day I took her to the store to get it."

Abby held her breath. She hadn't thought she would get much of response besides a yes or no, and the fact that he had opened shared a memory was something she didn't take for granted.

"She really loved horses, like Emily does now." He ran his fingers through Abby's hair as he spoke. "But it's not too hard to stay here. Emily isn't Kelly, I know that."

"Doesn't make it easy."

Again Gibbs was quiet and Abby felt like maybe she had over stayed her welcome. "Maybe I should get going." She glanced at her watch, "it's getting late."

"Stay."

Abby was surprised and she suddenly felt unsure if she had actually heard him ask her to stay.

At her hesitation, Gibbs shifted on the bed and worked the blanket out from under her, holding it up to encourage her to snuggle close again and stay the night.

Abby nodded and then sat up. "I need to take off my shoes." Her fingers trembled slightly as she worked the zippers on her boots and then removed her jewelry. She could feel Gibbs' eyes watching her as she put her stuff off to the side and then turned toward him again. He lifted up the blanket again, encouraging her to slip under it again, and once she was curled up beside him, he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders.

"You think Fornell will mind?"

"Do you think I care?"

"I bet he thought it'd be awhile before there were _two_ people sleeping in this room. I'm surprised he let you sleep here, isn't there some sort of _no boys upstairs_ rule?"

Gibbs laughed and Abby gave a contented sigh.

Pushing up on his elbow, Gibbs leaned over her to click off the small flower shaped lamp on the bedside. With the lights off, he brushed his lips across her forehead one last time and settled back.

Abby hugged herself close – mostly because she drew comfort from him, and partly because she felt like she was half an inch from falling off the mattress.

* * *

Fornell stood just outside the bedroom door and listened. He couldn't quite hear the words spoken, but he heard the low rumble of Gibbs' laughter and a soft sigh from Abby. A few seconds later the lights clicked off.

Fornell shook his head and walked away with a smile on his face.

* * *

Abby woke snuggled up to the warmth of Gibbs' chest. Her head was tucked under his chin and as she slowly became more aware, she realized that one of her legs was intertwined with his. His arms were wrapped securely around her and he was dragging his fingers slowly up and down along her spine. Before she could say anything, Gibbs seemed to realize that she was awake.

"Morning."

Any worries that waking up beside Gibbs' would be awkward were quickly dispelled. "Morning," she muffled a yawn and pressed her face against his chest.

She was about to ask if she had to get up, but the question was answered for her when Fornell tapped on the door. "Ziva would like you to call her."

Gibbs hold on her tightened when Fornell knocked, and it prevented Abby from moving away, not wanting Fornell to see her snuggled up so close. But Fornell never entered, he just spoke through the closed door and then continued down the hall.

Gibbs shifted back so he could look at her, and he brushed her hair from her face with a gentle sweep of his hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words never came. Instead he pressed his lips together again and studied her face. It wasn't a scrutinizing gaze; he looked thoughtful as if he was sorting through what he wanted to say. Abby didn't question him; she just waited for his question to formulate. She didn't, however, expect his question to come in the form of his lips pressed gently against hers.

Her eyes drifted shut immediately and it took her a moment to fully realize what had happened. When she kissed him back there was a sudden increase in urgency as he kissed her and his hand tightened instantly in her hair. And then, as quickly as it started, Gibbs pulled away. "I can't… not here, not now."

Abby nodded.

"_Hey,_" Gibbs leaned in and kissed her again, softly this time, his way of telling her that _not now_ didn't mean _not ever_. It simply meant that he couldn't afford to get caught up in a romance with her while someone was still after him.

"I know." When Gibbs didn't make a move to get up, Abby allowed herself to relax for a few extra moments before being the first to pull away completely. "You should call Ziva. It could be important."

"Yeah."

Abby could feel his eyes on her as she pulled on her boots and then reached for her jewelry. When she felt his hand rest lightly against her back, she shifted slightly and gave him a soft smile over her shoulder. When Abby felt as though she was put together enough to go downstairs, Gibbs led her down the hall by the hand. Fornell was sitting at the dining table, the newspaper spread in front of him, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Coffee is over there." He waved to coffee machine in the kitchen and watched as Abby went to pour two cups. "Sleep well?" The corner of Fornell's mouth turned up in smug grin.

"Bed is a little small."

"Warm enough?"

Gibbs refused to be baited. "It was fine."

Fornell knew he's get nowhere, especially with Abby in the house. "You call Ziva yet?"

"No."

"She's in the process of wrapping up the case that you guys were working on before all this drama. She didn't give me any details, just asked me to have you call her."

"I should go to NCIS."

"That's what I was thinking. How far were you in this case before you were slipped the drugs? Could it be related?"

"Don't think so, but I'd like to see how everything panned out."

"Probably a good idea. I haven't heard anything from Sacks yet. Want to take a shower before we go? Maybe by the time we get there DiNozzo will have something for us as well."

Gibbs nodded and then accepted the coffee that Abby brought to him. "Ziva wrapped up the Maldonado case. I'm going to shower and then head into NCIS."

"She did?" Abby's eyes widened. "Who did it?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to her. Fornell did, but she didn't give any details."

"I wonder if it was his brother that killed him?"

Gibbs could see it in her eyes that she was suddenly lost in the DNA complexity of the case. "His brother? Maldonado didn't have a brother."

"He did!" It suddenly dawned on her that she had given that information while he had been under the influence of the drugs he had been slipped. "I tested blood from various surfaces in the motel room. Most of it belonged to Maldonado, but there was so much that it couldn't have all come from him. There was some broken glass that had different DNA, although it was a close match. He had a brother and they were fighting. Only we didn't know if he knew it was his brother or not. There is no mention anywhere, in any of his files."

Gibbs thought a moment. "Okay, I'm going to shower and then we'll go." He took one last sip of his coffee and then took the stairs two at a time up to the bathroom.

Abby brought both of their mugs to the kitchen and set them in the sink. "Well, I'll get going. I need to swing by my apartment before I go to NCIS. I'll see you guys later."

Fornell nodded and watched her go.

Gibbs took a quick shower, and toweled off before putting on the clean clothes he'd brought with him. It took less than fifteen minutes for him to be back downstairs and ready to go. "Where's Abbs?"

"She left, she'll meet us at NCIS."

Gibbs glanced out the front window. "Ah, okay."

* * *

Ziva and McGee were both at their desks when Gibbs and Fornell made it back to NCIS, and they both jumped up when Gibbs strode toward his desk. Ziva allowed McGee to talk first. He had spent the majority of the previous day, well into the evening, searching through every file on Cheryl's computer. Each of the times she had been contacted by whoever was after him had been through different email accounts set up at various internet cafés around the city, and the few times she had been contacted via telephone, it had been from a burn phone. The voice had been different each time, and Cheryl had no idea if she had been dealing with a man or woman, or if they had an accent. Payment had always come in the form of cash, appearing in her mail box, under the welcome mat of her front door or in an envelope tucked under the windshield wiper of her car.

"I'm sorry boss, I can't find anything. This person really knows what they are doing. I can have Abby take a look, but honestly, this person is a professional."

"Is Abby in her lab?" If she had left when he had taken a shower, she should have been at NCIS by now.

"No. She wasn't here when I got here this morning, about an hour ago. And she hasn't come through the squad room yet." It wasn't often that Abby by-passed the squad room in the morning. She preferred to start the day saying hello to all her friends, often spending the first 20 minutes of her day catching up with Gibbs' team.

"Gibbs," Ziva put several papers in a folder and passed them to Gibbs. "It took a little digging into his background, but PFC Ernest Maldonado did have a brother. It's a long story, but Maldonado, our dead marine grew up in Arizona and was friends with David Wilson. Maldonado was two years older than Wilson, and it turns out that Sasha Maldonado, Ernest's mother, had a boy while she was in college and ended up putting him up for adoption. The boy stayed in the neighborhood, though she had no idea. She got pregnant two years later with Ernest and kept him. They grew up two blocks away from each other and had no clue that they were brothers."

Gibbs scanned over the DNA matches, and the adoption papers that Ziva had found.

"They both wanted to join the Marines, but Wilson didn't make it – he was too dependant on anti-anxiety medication for both anxiety and seizures. He flew out to visit Maldonado while he was on leave. He figured he could convince Maldonado to give him a little information on the Marines to sell overseas, and it ended in a fight. He said they were both beat up pretty bad, but that Maldonado was still alive when he left. He had no idea that they were brothers and is fairly certain that Maldonado was unaware of their family ties as well."

"You have him in custody?"

"Uh, not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"We couldn't hold him without concrete evidence or an admission of guilt that he had killed him. We had the cops watching the house, and when Ducky finished the autopsy and confirmed that it was injuries from the fight two officers went to pick him up. The found him dead in his room. He killed himself; left a note saying he was _'sorry'_ and that he could _'never face his mother again'_."

"Uh," Tobias spoke up. "You mentioned an anti-anxiety medication. Do you know what?" He looked at Gibbs and gave a small shrug. "It doesn't seem likely, but it might be something to check out."

"Cheryl had already been working at NCIS for a week when we got the call from this case. Wilson had been in DC for a few days."

Fornell knew he was probably right, but with no other leads he felt the need to follow up on everything, no matter how unlikely it was to help. "Just humor me, okay?"

"Ziva," Gibbs gave her a look that told her it would be okay to find out what medication he had been on and she moved back to her desk to make the phone call.

Fornell moved over to Tony's desk and had a seat. "I wonder if our agents have killed each other yet?" He referred to the obvious animosity between Agent DiNozzo and Agent Sacks.

"Nah, DiNozzo knows better than to off FBI agents while he's on the clock." Gibbs had faith that Tony would keep it professional, at least while they were out in the field. Back in the office was another story, and he had no doubt that they would need to be kept apart once while things were slow.

He glanced at his watch, it was 08:30, and he had now been at NCIS for nearly thirty minutes. That meant that Abby had left Fornell's house almost an hour earlier. He told himself she had gone home to shower and change and would be stepping out of the elevator any minute.

Ziva placed the phone back in the cradle and looked up. "I was just on the phone with Wilson's doctor in Arizona, he had been prescribed Diazepam which was managing his anxiety and seizures nicely. I guess there had been some issues awhile back, but that he seemed very stable before he left."

"I don't think he meant to kill him, I think it was a fight that got out of hand," McGee broke in.

The elevator dinged, and Gibbs' head snapped up. He felt a pang of disappointment when it was someone from accounting that stepped out of the elevator. He tried distracting himself by opening his email. He had over 200 emails in his inbox, the majority of it agency related crap – somehow his email had been included in a email sent out for a family potluck lunch over the weekend. Everyone was asked to bring something based on the first letter of their last name. Everyone in the building was invited, but for the most part people knew that he wasn't interested.

Every time the elevator sounded another arrival, he tried not to feel too let down when Abby didn't step into the squad room. As he weeded through emails he needed to look at versus the ones that went directly to the trash, he let himself wonder if he was the reason that she hadn't arrived yet. With time to think, had she freaked out over their kiss? Did she feel like he had blown her off by telling her that he couldn't start something with her – not yet.

As his mind went through the various possibilities he tried to keep his mind from wander into dangerous territory. What if whoever had been after him had decided to take a different route? Gibbs wasn't scared of death – there had been times where he had welcomed it – but the one thing that someone could do to actually put fear into him was to hurt Abby. He had always refused to put it into words how he felt about her, had never come out and admitted that she was his favorite, but to anyone (himself included) it was fairly obvious.

In all the years they had worked together, with as many threats as he had received, Ari had been the only one smart enough to target her to cause him pain. The only reason he had gone after Kate first had been because she had taken Abby's place in bringing the items Ari had requested to autopsy. As much as he missed Kate, and still carried guilt over her death, he couldn't imagine life if Abby had died at someone else's hands because of their anger toward him. Gibbs shuddered at the thought.

The elevator dinged once more, and this time Tony stepped out of the metal box, Agent Sacks close behind. "Oh boss, is Abby here?"

"No."

"Ah, well, did she find you last night? She was in a panic when she called, but then she said she was going to check if you were at Fornell's place – hey, out of my seat," Tony motioned for Fornell to move. "Anyway, I didn't hear back from her, so I assume she found you."

"She did."

Tony frowned at Fornell when he took his time in vacating Tony's seat. "I just spent the last 16 hours going through everything in Cheryl Lavery's house. That woman needs to learn some organizing skills. I mean seriously, she had bank papers in a plastic bag in her laundry room."

"Find anything?" Gibbs believed Cheryl when she had told Fornell she knew nothing about the reason someone was after him, that she was only in it for the paycheck.

Tobias interrupted, "more importantly, where is my agent?"

"Sacks?" Tony smirked. "He ran home to the FBI once we wrapped up. I think he was tired of listening to me talk, boss. And no, after 16 hours of mind numbing work, I found nothing. Sorry." He knew Gibbs didn't accept apologies, but he was truly sorry. The team was his family and he felt helpless without any leads to find whoever was out to hurt their boss. "What do we do now?"

"We wait." Gibbs said simply.

"Wait?" Tony didn't follow.

"They'll find someone else to do their dirty work. This time we'll be prepared, they'll make a mistake."

"So you just want to use yourself as bait?" Ziva weighed in on the option. "It could work."

"Isn't that a little risky?" It didn't sit well with Tony, the idea of just waiting for whoever it was to make another attempt on Gibbs' life. What if they succeeded?

"We could move an agent into your house." Fornell suggested.

"I don't need an agent in my house, I can take care of myself." Gibbs didn't want a babysitter.

"I was thinking more for when you _weren't_ at home. I know you can take care of yourself, unfortunately your stuff can't." Gibbs had told him about his boat being smashed while he was at work.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch again. Even if Abby had gone home, showered and changed, she should've been at NCIS by now. "McGee, get a hold of Abby."

"Yes, boss." McGee reached for the phone and dialed Abby's cell. When it went to voicemail he left a quick message asking her to call. He then hung up and dialed her home number. "Boss, still no response."

"You're sure she's not in her lab?"

"She had a long day yesterday, she probably slept in. What do you need her for?" Tony wasn't sure he wanted to know what Gibbs was thinking.

McGee dialed her lab extension, but no one answered.

Gibbs didn't want to alarm the team if it was nothing, but on the off chance that someone had gone after her as a way to get to him, he needed to know right away. "Can you get a fix on her cell?"

"Uh, sure." McGee looked from Gibbs to Tony and Ziva and back to Gibbs before opening up the necessary program on his computer. Once he was ready, he dialed Abby's number. Once it started ringing he put her number into the program.

McGee glanced up at Gibbs with a startled look on his face.

* * *

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Abby twisted her fingers nervously together as she waited for the elevator to bring her to the squad room. Things hadn't been awkward between her and Gibbs when they'd woke up together in the small bed, but now, back at work, he'd probably had time to think things over. She didn't expect him to make a big deal out of their kiss, but at the same time it had meant a lot to her, and if he played it off as nothing, she wasn't sure she could handle it.

She didn't think he would, but there was always that possibility. The possibility that he had acted more in the moment, and now regretted kissing her. She had never expected it, they had always walked that fine line between friendship and flirtatiousness, but Gibbs had walled everyone off to keep anyone from getting too close. She knew she had gotten closer to him than anyone in a long time, but she just didn't seem to be able to break through. It could've had something to do with the fact that he was much older than her. Not _that_ much older, but knowing Gibbs, she figured he probably had a rule about that.

Of course his kiss had come at the worst time, someone was after him, his life could be in danger, and so she wasn't surprised that he had said he couldn't start something now. She didn't blame him for not wanting to get caught up in whatever they had between them, but….The elevator dinged and Abby squared her shoulders before stepping out into the squad room.

She was surprised to see the whole team, plus Fornell gathered in the center of the squad room between all the desks. "You guys find something yet?"

Everyone turned to look at her, their eyes wide with surprise. "_Abby!_"

"What? Did you find something? Are you…" She scanned over Gibbs, and satisfied he was okay she stopped herself from asking.

Gibbs looked as though he was about to stay something, but Tony spoke up first. "We've been trying to call you, but you didn't answer, and then McGee said that you were here because your phone shows you're here, but you weren't and… where have you been?"

Abby frowned and then held up her purse. "Hm, it must have fallen out in the car. I used it on my way here. I would've been up sooner, but I was talking to Josh downstairs." It wasn't uncommon for her to spend a few minutes catching up with Josh, head of NCIS security, at the main entrance each morning. "I'll run back out and grab it."

"I'll go with." Gibbs stepped forward, crowding her personal space.

"I'll join the two of you. You shouldn't be anywhere out of the building without security." Fornell followed them as they started for the elevator.

Gibbs tried not to let it show that he didn't want Fornell shadowing him, but when Fornell rolled his eyes, he knew the message had been received loud and clear.

As the elevator doors closed in front of them, Abby turned to face them both. "Have you found anything? Tony? McGee?"

"No," Gibbs shook his head. "Nothing."

"Drats."

Gibbs couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth at Abby's childish pout. He was well aware that she wasn't a child, and she was the smartest person he knew, but at times she just couldn't help but pout like a child. Sometimes he half expected her to stomp her feet.

The three of them walked to Abby's car, and as she suspected, her phone had fallen from her purse and was resting against the parking brake. "What did Ziva need?"

"She wrapped up the Maldonado case."

"Could it tie in with… with your situation?"

"No." Gibbs held the door open for her and followed her inside. They went through security again, and when they hit the elevator, Gibbs ushered her inside, but stepped in front of Fornell. "We're not outside the building anymore. I don't need you to shadow me." And with that Gibbs stepped back and pressed the button to hurry the doors shut.

Before she could formulate a question, Abby found herself crowded back against the elevator wall, bathed in the blue light that accompanied the emergency stop. "Gibbs?"

"You left this morning? Why? I would have given you a ride."

"I needed to go home, shower and change." Mentioning that her shower took a little longer than necessary was out of the question. She flushed slightly. It hadn't taken much to imagine that her fingers were his…

His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to read her thoughts, and after a moment his look softened. "I would've taken you home."

"I know. But my car was there, and I thought you would probably want to get to NCIS as soon as possible."

"Okay."

He was so close she felt as though she was having difficulty breathing. "Okay."

Gibbs took half a step back, and reached behind him to flick the emergency switch once more, continuing them toward the squad room. Being in such close proximity with Gibbs had caused her heart to flutter and her eyelids felt heavy. Abby was just about to give a deep sigh when Gibbs stepped close again, pressing a rough kiss to her lips before pulling back, drawing his finger along her lower lip and then stepping away seconds before the elevator doors opened once more.

* * *

Gibbs was reluctant to leave without Abby, but she was swamped with evidence from another team and wasn't likely to finish in the near future. There was nothing else that he could do, and Fornell was getting restless – pacing around the squad room as he waited for Gibbs to grab what he wanted to bring home.

Fornell had rolled his eyes when Gibbs said he would be right back and then went down to the lab to check in with Abby one last time. He had been quick, making sure there was nothing she needed, and that she wouldn't stay pay ten and that she would have security walk her to her car. He left with a lingering kiss to her cheek and a soft tug to her pigtail.

The stopped for take out on their way back to Gibbs' house. Gibbs wasn't fond of the Thai place that Fornell picked, but the FBI agent had a coupon that was about to expire, and he didn't want it to go to waste. They were greeted at the front door by one of the agents on rotation at Gibbs' house. They set up at the dining table with the food and a couple beers.

"So," Fornell uncapped two beers while Gibbs' dished up their plates. "You and Abby got a little cozy last night, eh?"

Gibbs ignored him and forked a mouthful of food into his mouth.

"I mean, I can't say I didn't see it coming, but really, in Emily's room? C'mon."

"We didn't have sex," Gibbs growled.

"Right…" Fornell's smirk faded. "Wait, you're serious? You finally got your forensic scientist into bed and you _didn't_ have sex?"

"Drop it Tobias."

"I'm not asking for the details, I'm just surprised that nothing happened. When you look at her…" Fornell took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "When you look at her you relax. It's good to see. You don't need to live the rest of your life alone in that dusty old basement of yours."

Gibbs let his fork drop on the side of his plate. "I didn't ask for your opinion on my personal life. Drop it."

"Alright, alright." Fornell held his hands up in defeat.

"Talk to Emily lately?"

"She was thrilled that you were going to spend the night in her room. Wanted me to put a chocolate on your pillow."

"I'm going to tell her that you didn't."

"I'll never hear the end of it."

"Good." Gibbs picked up his fork again and continued to eat. "She's doing okay?"

"Emily? Oh yeah, she's fine. She wasn't thrilled about the change in schedule, but she's been handling it well. At least she's stopped hinting at Abby and I."

"You… and Abby?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

Fornell shrugged. "She likes Abby, looks up to her. I think she had a few ideas floating in her head about Abby and I spending more time together."

"Talk to Diane lately?" Gibbs was quick to change the subject. Abby and Fornell together as more than occasional co-workers was a topic he wasn't interested in hearing anything about, no matter how far-fetched the idea was.

"Yeah," Fornell grinned. "That was an experience. I told her I wanted to go back to our regular custody agreement since we're getting nowhere with the case, and that life is slowly getting back to normal." He glanced over at the security guard by the door. "Almost normal."

"What'd she say?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. My job takes up too much time, I'm not an attentive enough father. I told her she could have Emily for another week, and then I want my days back. She'll deal with it, or I'll bring her to court. She knows that. I don't think there will be any problem."

* * *

The rest of the week went by rather quickly. Gibbs and his team worked out of NCIS, while Fornell and his team went back and forth between NCIS and the FBI headquarters. They dove deep into Cheryl's back ground, interviewing anyone they could connect to her, and went back over every single case where Gibbs had sent someone to prison over the past year. Gibbs' patience was running low as they repeatedly came up with nothing.

Each night he went home alone, ignored the agent stationed in his living room, and spent most of the night in the basement.

By Friday Abby was beginning to feel lonely. The team was just up a few flights of stairs, but everyone was so busy, there wasn't much time for socializing. And as for Gibbs – she had seen him once, maybe twice a day, and they were never alone. He always looked tired and she knew that if _she_ wasn't getting much sleep, he wasn't getting much more than a few hours of sleep each night.

Abby wasn't sure if he would want her company, but she missed him. She knew an Agent was in his house with a second circling the neighborhood every 15-20 minutes, but she figured Gibbs wasn't likely to make friends with the man stationed just inside his front door. She pulled up out front and waved at the Agent that had followed her car down the quiet street. She walked around to the passenger side door, and collected the food she had prepared and put into a picnic basket.

The guard stationed inside, Kevin, opened the door after one knock, and with a quick check of her I.D. Abby was allowed inside. "Where is he?"

"Basement."

"Has he eaten yet?"

"Don't think so. He got home an hour ago and then disappeared downstairs. I haven't seen him since. Agent Fornell warned me that I wasn't likely to see or talk to him much. He said Agent Gibbs prefers to keep to himself."

"It's true. Have you eaten? I made a chicken pasta salad, and picked up some fresh rolls. There is plenty if you'd like some."

"No thanks. I just had a bite to eat 20 minutes ago."

"Alright," Abby gave him a friendly smile and then headed for the basement door. She thought about knocking, but she had never knocked at his front door, she wasn't about to start knocking at the basement door.

Gibbs was bent over a long piece of wood, a pencil in one hand, a ruler in the other.

"Starting over?"

Gibbs didn't look up, but he waved the hand with the pencil to a few neatly sanded ribs from the previous boat. "Not completely."

"Care for some company?"

"Don't people usually call and ask that before coming over?"

Abby thought it was a little harsh, but she wasn't going to show that stung. "I brought you some food, I don't need to stay."

Gibbs set the pencil and ruler down and turned toward her. "Stay."

Abby stepped off the last step and lifted up the picnic basket. "I packed you a picnic. I figured you'd rather not eat upstairs with your babysitter, so I brought a blanket and paper plates and…" Abby spread a thick blanket out in the center of the basement. Once Gibbs had picked up the fragments of his boat, the basement had been swept clean.

Once the blanket was out, Abby dropped to her knees and pulled out two paper plates, two paper cups, and a large tupperware of chicken pasta salad. She waved Gibbs over and pulled out a bottle of sparkling water, pouring them each a large cup full. She carefully unwrapped the warm rolls, and then dug around the bottom of the basket for plastic silverware.

"You brought all this for me?"

"I told you, I didn't think you'd want to eat with your babysitter upstairs, and it would be rather uncomfortable to sit on the cold floor." She laughed when Gibbs frowned at the use of the world babysitter. She'd had an agent on protection detail more than once; she knew what it was like.

Gibbs took the roll that she offered and dished up a plate of pasta salad.

Abby glanced over to where he had been working on rebuilding the boat. "Is it hard to…." As the words came out, Abby wondered if it was a metaphor for something a little more serious than his boat. "To start over? I mean, will it mean as much as the first one? You put so much work into it."

Gibbs looked at her and then sipped his water before answering. "Is starting over hard? Yes. And it takes work, a lot of that. But I have faith that this one… she'll be the best one yet." Something changed in his voice and suddenly Gibbs had his wall up. "It's not the first time I've started over on a boat. I know what to do."

Abby cocked her head at the sudden change in demeanor. It wasn't like Gibbs to pull away so violently like that, not when he was with her.

"Can I help you?"

Abby followed his gaze when he directed the question back at the stairs. She hadn't heard the door open, but Gibbs had. Kevin was standing on the top step.

"Um, sir, Agent Fornell called. He wanted to know if you wanted company. He said you hadn't been answering your cell, and…"

"No." He had been ignoring Fornell's calls the past hour.

"Oh, okay. What should I tell him?"

"I don't care what you tell him, I don't want any company." Gibbs reached out and covered Abby's hand with his own. He didn't want any company except hers.

"Uh, okay, I will."

Gibbs waited until the basement door closed again before speaking. "If he's Fornell's best at security detail, I'd hate to meet his worst."

"I can call Darren for you – he did a good job babysitting me. He even played board games with me when I couldn't sleep." Abby was referring to the last time Gibbs had put 24hr security detail on her.

"Just how friendly are you with Darren?" Gibbs hadn't heard anything about him in over a year.

"Oh, you know. We're Facebook friends, follow each other on Twitter…"

"You follow each other?"

Abby laughed and shook her head. "It's a computer social network thing, we don't actually _follow_ each other around."

"Ah. But you see him often?"

"I haven't seen him in awhile. Though I know he goes to a club that a couple of my friends go to on Friday nights."

Gibbs glanced at his watch, it wasn't late by any standards, but most of those clubs were open by now. "You headed there next?"

"Tonight? Nah, the first Friday of the month is usually pretty boring." Abby shrugged. "I thought we could hang out."

Satisfied that she wasn't planning on running off to party afterwards, Gibbs relaxed and began to enjoy their inside picnic. He explained how Ziva had figured out the Maldonado case and Abby asked more questions than he could begin to answer about the brothers DNA. "Wow, it's such a movie story-line. He killed his brother, but at the time he didn't know it was his brother and then once he finds out, he kills himself. I bet Tony could come up with a great title for it."

"I'm sure he already has."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they finished their dinner. It was getting late, and Abby knew she should get going. She hated to leave him even if he had security detail. She knew she wouldn't rest unless she knew for a fact he was okay. But there had to be something she could do in the lab – an extra test to run – _something! _"I should probably get going."

"We don't have work tomorrow, stay."

"We have work every day until we figure out who hates you enough to poison you." Her ensuring his safety wasn't a 9 to 5 job. She had no intention of resting until she was sure he was safe.

"There is nothing you can do, not until we have something for you to test. You know that."

Abby hated feeling as though she had hit a dead end. "Maybe if I go back over everything we've collected so far-"

"You've done your best, Abbs. If there was something there for you to find, you would've found it already." Gibbs reached out and gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Nothing for now." Gibbs gave a little shrug. "I'm not allowed back at NCIS until Monday. Directors orders."

"He wants you well rested before you set yourself up as bait. It's not a bad idea – the you staying home part, I'm not a fan of setting yourself up as bait."

Gibbs should have known that Abby would have picked up on the idea of playing bait, despite having missed the conversation. "I'll rest better knowing you're safe. I'll know that you're safe if you're here with me."

"I'll need something to wear to bed. I always keep a change of clothes in my car, but I don't have anything to sleep in."

Gibbs resisted the urge to say that she didn't need anything to sleep in, instead he took the safe route. "I'm sure I've got something you can borrow." It wasn't the first time she had borrowed an oversize shirt to sleep in.

"Okay."

"I'll go get my bag."

Gibbs collected the garbage and tossed it into a large garbage bag. He then folded up the blanket as Abby packed up the rest of the food. She hesitated as they headed for the stairs so that he could lead the way, and she smiled when he paused at her side, kissed her cheek and thanked her for dinner.

Abby followed him up the stairs, a silly grin on her face. She stowed the leftovers in the fridge, and headed for the front door. "I'm just going to grab some stuff from my car, plenty of food in the fridge if you get hungry."

Kevin stood and opened the door for her. "Thank you."

Abby hurried out to her car, and was thankful that Kevin kept the front door open. It was dark and she couldn't help but worry that Gibbs' house was being watched. She pulled her overnight bag from the trunk and hoisted it up on her shoulder. Locking the door, she hurried back up the steps to where both Gibbs and Kevin stood waiting.

Gibbs was on the phone when she returned, and she caught the last bit of his conversation. "She won't be going home tonight. No need to worry." He closed his phone and turned back to her as she stepped inside.

"You had someone watching my apartment?"

"Can never be too safe." Gibbs closed the door and flipped the dead bolt. He took Abby's bag off her shoulders and slung it over his own. He gave Abby a gentle nudge toward the stairs and then turned to look at Kevin. "Good night." The words were simple, but the look that accompanied them said much more.

Kevin gave a little nod and moved back to his spot on the couch and picked up his book. He knew he wasn't supposed to bother Agent Gibbs unless it was absolutely necessary. He clicked on the TV as well. The house was well built, but he didn't want to accidentally hear anything.

Gibbs followed Abby up and directed her toward his room with a soft nudge as she hesitated at the top of the stairs. He set her bag on a chair in the corner of his room and then went to the chest of drawers and opened the top one. He pawed through a few shirts before finding an old NIS shirt that he knew would be long enough for her.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower." Abby accepted the shirt and then dug around her bag for a toothbrush. Instead of going into the master bathroom, she headed across the hall to the main bathroom for a shower. In the bathroom she opened the cabinet below the sink and pulled out a small plastic bin containing the shampoo, conditioner and face wash she preferred. She had stayed at his house enough times to warrant her own basket of stuff and somehow it made her feel like she belonged, at least a little, in his life.

She showered as quickly as possible and toweled off before changing into the shirt that Gibbs had provided. It fell to mid thigh and she felt covered enough so that she wouldn't feel awkward. With a towel wrapped around her hair she brushed her teeth, and continued to get ready for bed. Once she was all ready, she towel dried her hair and hung it on the hook on the back of the door and replaced the bin of her toiletry items under the sink.

* * *

TBC…

Things will be a little crazy the next few days – through Friday night. I can't promise daily posts, sorry!


	11. Chapter 11

So... I'm pretty sure you all will forgive the sketchy posting schedule the next few days after this chapter.

* * *

Gibbs was already in bed, a pillow behind his back as he leaned against the headboard. He had a woodworking magazine in his hands, and he had put on his glasses rather than squint through the soft light of his bedside lamp. Abby hesitated in the doorway, her eyes sweeping over him. She could see he was wearing some sort of sleep pants, dark blue, but he didn't have a shirt on. Her eyes swept over his arms and across his firm chest. He was strong, but his muscles weren't huge – just perfectly toned, she decided. There was a light smattering of hair across his chest and his stomach was as toned as someone much younger.

Gibbs glanced up when a floor board creaked under her feet, and then set the magazine on his bedside table. He pushed the pillow down, and waited until she shut the door and then sat on the edge of the bed before clicking off the light.

He held up the covers for her, waiting patiently as she tied her damp hair back before settling in beside him.

The bed was large, and as soon as she was settled under the covers, Gibbs reached out and pulled her close, wrapping his arms securely around her. Abby moved willingly into his arms to snuggle up against his chest. He smelled like saw dust, and now that he didn't have a shirt on, his own scent was amplified. She couldn't help herself and before she knew it, her lips were pressed against his chest. She kissed him once, twice – until the low rumble of his laughter cause her to press her ear to his chest so she could hear it better. It wasn't often that Gibbs laughed so when he did, it felt as though her heart was doing flip-flops in her chest.

"Abby?"

"Hmm?" Abby pulled back enough so she could look up at him, his face becoming more and more clear as her eyes adjusted to the dark bedroom.

With her face tilted up toward his, Gibbs took advantage by kissing her softly. He had been waiting since he had stolen a few kisses in the elevator a few days prior. He could feel her hesitation as her body tensed, but she pressed into his kiss just as eagerly. When he pulled away, he brushed his thumb gently along her lower lip. "You have a question?"

"You..." Abby tried to get her mind back into working order. "You said you couldn't start anything. I might be wrong but this feels a lot like-"

Gibbs cut her off with a second kiss, this time his tongue seeking entrance. Instantly, her lips parted.

She allowed him control of the kiss until she felt an all too familiar heat causing her to squeeze her thighs together as she tried to ease the dull ache. "Gibbs," she pushed him away and rolled onto her back to catch her breath. "I need… I can't just…"

Gibbs leaned up on his elbow and traced his finger along her spider web tattoo. "What do you need from me, Abbs?"

"I… I'm not asking for happily ever after, Gibbs. I just need to know that this isn't just fun for tonight, and then it's back to kisses on the cheek tomorrow."

"You think I would do that to you?" He tried to mask the hurt, but judging by the way she winced at his question, he wasn't successful.

Abby turned her head to face him. "No, I don't, I just… I don't want to set myself up to fall any harder than I already have."

"Hey," Gibbs pulled her back into his arms, this time with her back to his chest. "I will always be there to catch you when you fall." His lips found the sensitive skin just behind her ear, and he kissed her twice before moving his lips down the side of her neck and out along her shoulder as far as the neck of his t-shirt would allow. "I can't promise happily ever after, but I _can_ promise to try."

"That's all I want." She knew they needed to talk, really talk, but his lips on her skin and his promise to be there for her was enough for now.

Gibbs kissed his way back up her neck and then nipped gently at her ear lobe. She couldn't do much, besides hold on to the arm he had wrapped firmly around her. He tormented her slowly with gentle kisses and nibbles along her soft skin. He brushed his finger tips gently across her breasts, the fabric of the t-shirt doing more than his actual touch. He slipped his fingers under her shirt, tracing back and forth across her belly, smiling to himself as her stomach muscles tensed and she tried to keep from laughing.

"Ticklish?"

"Mm, a little."

"Good to know."

Keeping her eyes open was becoming more and more difficult through his gentle torment. He gently pushed the shirt up, further and further, only touching the skin that was exposed. Eventually, as she became impatient, Abby wriggled free of his grasp, and tugged the shirt off over her head before settling back in his arms.

"What's this?" Gibbs' fingers brushed lightly over a fading bruise over her ribs.

"Just a bruise, it's almost gone." Abby's hand flattened over his, pressing the warmth of his palm against her skin.

Despite the free access, Gibbs took his time before his finger tips flicked lightly at her raised nipples. He did it over and over again when her head dropped to the pillow and she left out a quiet moan. She reached back for him, her hand coming to rest against the side of his face. Gibbs pressed a kiss to her palm and then continued his focus on her body.

With one arm still wrapped firmly around her middle, Gibbs let his free hand drift back down across her belly, his fingers circling her belly button before tracing the lacy edge of the underwear she was wearing. His thumb brushed over her hip bone before he brought his hand down over her mound, his fingers adding a little pressure as he sought out the growing wet spot on her panties.

Abby bit her lip at his touch. As good as it felt, there was still a layer between them and she wanted nothing more than to slip out of her underwear and toss them across the room. When his fingers finally slipped under the band of her underwear, Abby shifted her hips and parted her legs, giving him greater access to her core.

Gibbs pressed a finger between her folds and teased over her opening. He wished he could see her face, but judging by the needy sounds she kept making, he was doing alright. His finger moved easily in her wet heat and after a few gentle strokes he added a second finger to the mix, drawing a ragged moan from his girl. Every so often he'd put his thumb to her clit, causing her muscles to jump below his hand.

He felt an electric shock shoot right to his groin as he continued to work moan after moan from her. He pushed his growing arousal against her back side and growled in her ear about the effect she was having on him. It didn't take much more before she was trembling in his arms, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she clung to the last shreds of her control.

He nipped at her neck again, soothing the slight pain with a kiss. "Come," he curled his fingers _just so_ and pressed his thumb to her clit, "for me."

Gibbs held her tightly as she rode wave after wave of her orgasm. When she finally settled back against him with a happy sigh, he wiped his wet fingers on his own thigh and helped her to shift in his arms so she was facing him and he was able to kiss her properly.

As Gibbs kissed her, Abby's hands roamed slowly over his body. She could feel his dick pressing firmly against her thigh, but she chose to ignore it.

"_Abby!" _Gibbs growled against her ear.

"I know what you want," Abby pressed her face against his neck and giggled when he growled again as her hands continued to move everywhere but where he wanted. Abby mouthed her way across his collar bone and then pressed her mouth over one of his nipples. She nipped at him playfully and then repeated the action to his other nipple before slowly moving down his abdomen.

She wasn't surprised when he wrapped his hand in her hair and gently guided her lower. He wasn't forceful, and when she stopped to lavish attention to the skin over his hip, he didn't push her further. As she kissed her way across to his other hip, the tip of his erection brushed under her chin, leaving a streak of pre-cum in its wake.

"You'll be the death of me, Abbs," Gibbs panted as he watched Abby move between his legs.

Abby looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling in the faint light of the moon coming in through the window shades "Wouldn't be a bad way to go."

"No, but I'd prefer another go at this tomorrow and the next day and the day after…" Gibbs was cut off when her tongue darted out to collect another bead of pre-cum that had formed.

Abby grinned before sliding her mouth over him, giggling around his cock when it forced another hoarse growl from his throat. Abby encouraged him to set the pace for his gentle thrusts into her mouth. She set about using her tongue the best way she knew how, making quiet appreciative noises as Gibbs praised her, his voice rough with want and need.

Suddenly Gibbs stilled and pulled her off, brushing his thumb along her lower lip, wiping at the small string of saliva that still connected her mouth to his cock. "Not as young as I used to be," Gibbs gave a little shrug. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had someone so willing in bed – Hollis had looked at him with disgust, and the exes had hardly participated once they had found their own release.

Abby climbed her way back up his body and kissed him, pushing aside any of his fears that maybe she wasn't interested if he couldn't keep up with her. She gripped his shoulders and rolled onto her back, encouraging him to move with her.

He pressed his lips to the fluttery pulse point on her neck as he pushed up to guide a hand between them to align himself with her slippery opening.

"Oh my God, _Gibbs!" _Abby's hands flew to his chest and she stared up at him with wide eyes. "What about… about Kevin? He's just down the stairs." It suddenly dawned on her that they weren't alone in the house.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking about _him?_ Now?"

"I just… I thought I heard something and I forgot… I forgot we weren't alone in the house, and…"

Gibbs let out a soft chuckle. When things first started he had been surprised she hadn't refused his advances because of someone else being in the house. "He isn't to come upstairs unless its life or death. And he can't hear us."

Abby visibly relaxed under him and smiled. "It kind of adds to the excitement – being in a position where someone could walk in on us."

Gibbs pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "We're not doing this at NCIS. Don't get any ideas."

"Gibbs," Abby purred. "I could lock the door of the ballistics lab." Abby arched up as he nibbled along her neck. "There is a corner of my lab where the security camera doesn't quite reach. Or, no one would suspect anything if the emergency switch was deployed in the elevator." She knew she had gotten to him when he gave a sharp thrust against her, his cock sliding deliciously against her thigh.

"You think of us doing this stuff… at NCIS?"

Abby traced her fingers along his face. "More than once."

"Anywhere you haven't thought about us?"

"Here. It's the one place I would let myself fantasize about us. I wouldn't be able to set foot in your house again without blushing if I had let myself get lost in _that_ dream."

"It's not a dream." Gibbs leaned down and kissed her, taking a moment to savor her soft lips before sinking into her welcoming heat without warning.

"Gibbs," Abby couldn't help but whimper.

"Easy." Gibbs encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist, his fingers digging into her thigh as he held her close.

Abby moved with him, meeting him thrust for thrust as he pushed into her. Her breath caught in her throat as he stared down at her with an intensity that she had never seen before. Her heart stalled in her chest as it slowly sank in that it was truly happening. She surged upward to kiss him, her fingers digging into the taunt muscles of his back. Catching his lower lip between her teeth Abby gave a little tug before letting her head fall back against the pillow as she gasped in pleasure.

Gibbs pressed his lips to her ear and whispered to her, telling her how much she had an effect on him. Not just right then in bed, but every day, every time he walked into the lab or she showed up at his house.

"Gibbs… I need," Abby wasn't sure what she needed. More? Less? Using what little strength she had, Abby pulled Gibbs down to her and then pushed him to his back, rolling with him as he moved.

Abby tossed her head back and moaned once she was seated over him. His hands were on her hips, keeping her moving, and Abby loved the way his tongue came out to wet his lips as she tugged at her own nipples.

"Beautiful," he choked out. "Beautiful, Abbs."

Abby pressed her hands to his chest to steady herself as she rode him hard. She arched up as she tried to create that extra bit of friction she needed. She wasn't aware of his hand leaving her hip until she felt the sudden pressure against her clit. She let out a strangled cry as she fell forward, her toes curling as her body shook with the intensity of her second orgasm of the night.

Gibbs rolled them back over and pushed into her twice more before muffling his own cry against her shoulder. He stilled momentarily before lowering himself over her and then off of her to lie on his back.

As his breathing had slowed and he could hear his own thoughts through the blood that had been pounding through his veins, he reached blindly for Abby's hand. "Abbs?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

There was a brief silence before she shifted and then snuggled up to his side. "I'm perfect. You?"

"Mmm, me too." Gibbs turned his head to press a tender kiss to her forehead. As much as he wanted to curl up with her naked, warm body in his arms, he knew that they needed to redress in case he had to get out of bed in a hurry. He gave Abby an apologetic look as he reached for their discarded clothes.

Abby walked around the bed to take her clothes from him, and kissed him to show she understood, before heading to the master bath to clean up a bit before climbing into bed.

Gibbs welcomed her with open arms as she climbed into bed for the second time that night.

* * *

Abby woke slowly the next morning, reluctant to give up her dream-filled sleep. She had dreamt of picnics and long walks on the beach with Gibbs always at her side. She reached blindly for him, her hand falling on a cold pillow. She let her hand slip from the pillow – she knew she shouldn't be disappointed in the fact that Gibbs wasn't still in bed with her, and a part of her had expected to wake up without him. Just as she was about to pull her hand back under the covers, a warm hand covered hers and she startled.

"Morning."

Abby peeked through her lashes and was surprised to see Gibbs sitting on the edge of the bed. "Morning. I thought you left."

"Nah, I got up to have a quick shower, but I didn't want you to wake up alone. Instead I went down to start coffee." Gibbs lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

"You should have woken me up. I could use a shower too, you know." Abby loved the grin that Gibbs tried to fight.

"I haven't showered yet." His eyes sparkled at her and Abby found herself mirroring his grin. She gave his hand a tug. "You aren't allowed back and NCIS this weekend, why are you even out of bed?"

"It's 0800, I haven't stayed in bed this long since I was a kid. Even then, I wasn't allowed to sleep in unless I was sick."

"I thought you didn't get sick?" Abby tugged on his hand again, this time using a little more strength.

"I don't." Gibbs moved over the bed until he was on his hands and knees over her. "Not anymore." He dipped his head to nibble at her neck.

Abby sighed happily as she tilted her neck to give him better access to her spider web tattoo. Just as she thought he was about to settle over her, his head jerked up and he listened intently.

"What?" Abby whispered. "What is it?"

Gibbs turned to kiss her quickly and then pushed off the bed. "The coffee beeped. I'll be right back."

Abby rolled her eyes as she watched Gibbs go in search of coffee – some things would never change.

* * *

Abby felt as though the rest of the weekend went by in a perfect bubble. They still hadn't had the chance to sit down and properly talk – she didn't think it was high on Gibbs' list of priorities. She didn't want to talk in bed, his naked skin against hers was hard to ignore, and with security always nearby, she didn't feel comfortable starting the conversation. The agents that were rotated through kept to themselves, reading, playing on the computer and watching TV. As much as Gibbs hated being watched over, he managed to turn his frustration into spending his time doting on Abby. They spent both mornings in bed, talking, kissing, touching – getting to know each other in a more intimate way than they ever thought possible.

They took a quick trip to the grocery store, and then spent time in the kitchen cooking together.

Gibbs told himself that security was actually there for Abby, and he himself was never far from her side. As much as he wanted to complain, the security agents were professional and kept out of his way. He heard Fornell call several times, but as requested, Gibbs wasn't bothered.

By Sunday evening, Gibbs decided that checking in with the outside world would be a good idea. Abby had told the team she was fine and that she was with Gibbs and that if she was needed, she was to be contacted through the FBI. With her phone off, and Gibbs calls going through the agent inside his house, they spent the majority of the weekend free of interruption.

They were down in the basement, Gibbs working on rebuilding his boat and Abby curled up on the bottom step with a science journal in her lap.

"Guess I should see if Tobias has come up with anything new." Gibbs set down his sander and reached for the beer on the work bench.

Abby nodded. "I'd like to think he's caught whoever it is and everything is over, but I have the feeling he would have called and insisted on talking to you."

"It'd be just like Tobias if he had caught the person and tried to wrap up the case without me."

Abby knew it would anger Gibbs beyond belief, but secretly, the idea of Fornell wrapping the case up was a good one – that way everything could return to what passed for normal at NCIS.

Gibbs brushed the saw dust from his hands and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

Fornell answered on the second ring, and didn't give Gibbs the chance to speak first. "Talking to me again?"

"Thought I'd check in."

"Nothing new. I've been working every angle I've thought remotely possible, but there is nothing. I'm honestly at a loss. I've never seen anything like it."

Gibbs looked at Abby and shook his head. "We'll catch them eventually. Or maybe they've moved on, just tried to give me a scare and now are moving on with their life."

"Or it could be the fact that you've got an armed guard in your house twenty four hours a day." Fornell ignored the growl. "Speaking of, Kevin told me Friday that the reason I wasn't allowed to contact you unless it was life or death was because you had a woman over. Am I correct in guessing that the woman is Abby?"

"Yes." Gibbs glanced at Abby, but she had returned her attention to her magazine.

"She still there?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'll take that as a yes. Hey, maybe we can do dinner together. You and Abby, Sharon, Emily and I. I know Emily would love to see Abby."

"I'll ask her. Let me know if anything comes up tonight, otherwise I'll give you a call tomorrow from NCIS." Gibbs hung up before Tobias could say anything else. "Said you and I should have dinner with him, Emily and Sharon. Emily would like to see you."

"That would be fun! I'm curious as to who this Sharon woman is, aren't you? But it's up to you, if you don't want-"

"I'll call him tomorrow and see when he wants to schedule it."

Abby's face lit up. "Cool."

Tucking his phone back in his pocket, Gibbs brushed the rest of the saw dust from the front of his sweatshirt. "It's getting late."

"I should probably go home – I didn't bring work clothes with me when I grabbed some stuff for the weekend. Plus, we probably shouldn't drive in together tomorrow."

Gibbs caught her wrist as Abby stood and turned to lead the way up the steps. "I don't care if people know about us, Abbs."

"You've got a rule…" Abby shrugged. "I don't want you to change stuff just because we're… whatever."

"I added another rule, a little while back. Rule 51."

"Oh?"

"Sometimes you're wrong."

A look of confusion crossed Abby's face.

"Dating a co-worker can be dangerous. That rule is there for a reason. Nine times out of ten, it's not going to work. But sometimes," he brushed his thumb gently across her cheek. "Sometimes, it's the best thing that could ever happen to you."

Abby lifted her hand to Gibbs' forehead. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said. You sick?"

Gibbs swatted her hand away and nudged her up the steps. "Don't get sick, remember?"

"I know." Abby turned to kiss him.

Gibbs followed her out of the basement, keeping a hand at her hip to ensure that she didn't get to far away from him. "Stay?"

Abby chewed absentmindedly on her lower lip. She didn't want to over-stay her welcome, but with Gibbs asking so nicely, she couldn't exactly say no.

"I'll stay."

"Good. Up to bed, I'll be up in a minute."

* * *

Emily was the first to spot Abby and Gibbs as they made their way through the crowded restaurant to the table in the back. "Abby! Sit next to me!" Emily waved them over and pointed to the chair beside her for Abby to take – leaving Gibbs at the head of the small table.

"Hey Emily!" Abby bent down to hug the girl and then offered her hand to the woman sitting beside Fornell. "Hi, I'm Abby."

"Sharon. Emily has told me all about you." Sharon smiled at Emily.

"This is Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, he works for NCIS," Fornell introduced the two.

"Gibbs." He shook her hand politely before having a seat.

Sharon was a petite blonde woman with a bright smile. She was wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt, and Abby suspected that she was just perfect for Fornell – low maintenance and easy going. Likely a welcome change compared to Diane and good for Emily to see, rather than just her mother who practically lived in heels and a business suit.

Dinner went well – Gibbs and Fornell discussing the latest NCIS and FBI news while Emily kept both Abby and Sharon entertained with stories from school. "… but I just got an 82 on my spelling test."

"That's great! I had a hard time with spelling when I was your age." Sharon praised.

"Mommy says 82 isn't good enough. I need to focus more, otherwise I won't get a kitten this summer."

Abby eyed Sharon over Emily's head. "I think you're doing very well in school."

"Thank you, Abby. I try really hard, but sometimes the words are hard."

"You'll do great, I'm sure of it."

"Daddy is really good at helping me with my school work, isn't he?" Emily smiled at Sharon.

"I dunno, sounds like you guys have more fun than actually getting work done," Sharon teased and then looked at Abby. "Sometimes I wonder if they are working on her school work, or just playing around."

"It makes your school work more fun, doesn't it?" Abby ran her fingers through the girls hair.

"It does. I wish I could spend more time with daddy and Sharon," Emily sighed.

* * *

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for sticking with it – sorry it's been so long between the updates. Things are *almost* passing for normal around here again.

* * *

"Mr. Fornell?"

"How can I help you?" Fornell used his shoulder to hold his cell phone to his ear as he flipped through a file that had been placed on his desk by his secretary over his lunch break. He was hoping to wrap things up within the next 20 minutes – he had Emily for the first time in a few weeks, and he didn't want to take home any FBI work while he had her.

"This is Amanda Nielsen; I'm the principle at Edgewood Elementary school. Your daughter is a student here."

"What can I do for you?"

"I've just heard from her teacher that she didn't return after recess. Now, I don't want to cause complete panic – it wouldn't be the first time a child has gone missing, only to be found 20 minutes later hiding on the playground or in a bathroom, but I wan-"

"You don't want me to panic?" Fornell snapped the file shut. "Is my daughter missing, or not?"

"At this point and time-"

"Yes? Or No?"

"It seems as though she is… We have all the classrooms on lock down, and everyone is going over their attendance lists. And all other available staff is combing the school grounds to see if she's hiding. Is there any reason she would just take off? Out playgrounds are very well monitored, and if someone had taken her, kicking and screaming it would have been seen."

"Emily would never run away from school, she knows better than that!" Fornell grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and rushed from his office, past his secretary and out toward the parking lot. "Have you spoken to Diane yet?"

"No, I tried calling her at work, but they said she had the day off. I've been trying to reach her cell, but she isn't answering."

"She never answers the damn phone. I'll swing by and pick her up. I'll be there as soon as I can." Fornell flipped his phone shut and jumped in his car. It wasn't unusual that Diane didn't answer her cell phone. She often left it one room and then wandered to another and then didn't hear her quiet ringtone. When he wanted to speak to Emily he often had to call several times before she would answer – irritated at finding seven missed calls in the past five minutes.

It didn't take him long to fly down the streets toward Diane's house. Her car wasn't in the driveway, but on occasion she pulled it into the garage. He left the car running as he rushed up the front step to pound on her front door. After several moments he gave up and ran back to his car to head to Emily's school to see what he could do.

Mrs. Nielsen met him at the front door, "I'm sorry, we still haven't found her. I don't know how this could happen."

"You must have security footage?"

"Only for inside the building and the main section of the playground. No cameras cover the outer part of the field, and in the video you clearly see Emily heading out to the field with a soccer ball."

"Have you spoken to her friends? Did anyone see her leave?"

"No, none of the children remember seeing her leave. Several of her friends are out this week with the chicken pox, so she's been a little lost as far as who to play with outside."

Fornell glanced at his watch. "How long has she been gone?"

"Roughly 45 minutes."

"I'm calling the authorities."

"We've already called 911, sir."

Fornell glanced up before dialing his own office number. "I'm calling the FBI."

* * *

Gibbs was mid-conference with Vance when he received a frantic call from Fornell that Emily was missing. With little hesitation, Vance let Gibbs and his team pass their newest case to a different team in order to help out the FBI. Gibbs was fairly certain it had more to do with the fact that Vance had two children himself rather and feeling any sort of obligation to help the FBI.

He called Abby as he drove at a break-neck speed to get himself and his team to Emily's elementary school. He told her that he would keep her updated on any new information they came across, and that after Fornell, she would be first to know when Emily had been found.

Several of the FBI agents were already at the school, and they had set up a mobile command center in the school's auditorium. As the school day came to a close, several FBI agents were outside, handing out photocopies of Emily's photo with a number to a direct line at the FBI to parents as they picked up their children.

Fornell was relieved to see Gibbs on the case – if anyone understood the fear of losing a child, Gibbs was it.

"Hey," Gibbs placed his hand on Fornell's shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. "Fill us in on what you know."

Fornell gave them the basic rundown and Gibbs tried to think it through. "Have you spoken to Diane?"

"No, can't get a hold of her. Not answering her cell phone – most likely she's at an appointment and left her phone in the car, or at home."

"DiNozzo, McGee. I want you two at her house, go through her calendar, planner, whatever you can find and see if you can locate her. Emily has been spending a lot of time with her, maybe Emily mentioned something to her that could be useful." Gibbs turned to Ziva, "I want you to go back to NCIS and have Abby pull all traffic cams in a 5 mile radius from the school. Start checking back at 14:20. See if you can get eyes on her."

Gibbs team scattered and Gibbs turned back to his friend. "We'll find her."

* * *

Tony pulled up outside the address he had been given. "You realize that we're going into the lair of one of Gibbs' exes?"

"Tony, a child is missing."

"I know that, and I fully intend on working my hardest, but you've got to admit, McCurious, what would possess someone to marry Gibbs, and then Fornell?"

"It is kind of weird," McGee agreed as they made their way up the front step. "Hinky, as Abby would say."

"Speaking of Abby," Tony dropped to one knee and pulled out his lock-pick set. "She's been spending a lot of time with the boss."

"You know how she worries. We were all worried about him."

"We didn't all spend the night, over and over and over-"

"It's not like they were, you know…"

"How do you know?" Tony grinned up at McGee. "Boss has seemed a lot less stressed, if you catch my drift." The lock popped and the door swung open. "After you."

"I mean, I know they flirt, but you think Gibbs would really…?"

"Really, what, McGee? Have sex with her? Do the hanky-panky?" Tony couldn't help but tease as they made their way into the house. "McGee, do you wonder if he can still…" Tony used his finger to imply an erection.

"I…" McGee was at a loss for words.

"That's disgusting, McGoo." Tony slapped the back of McGee's head. "Stop thinking like that."

"But… but you…"

"Get to work." Tony left McGee in the front hallway. He called out a few times, double checking that Diane wasn't home, and then made his way to the kitchen. The food in the fridge was fresh, and the coffee maker was set to automatically go off later in the evening. _A habit she must've picked up from Gibbs, _he thought.

He found a calendar on the wall in the dining room and looked over the various activities penciled in. Mostly sports and school functions for Emily, a few doctor's appointments here and there, and then certain days were highlighted to indicate the nights Emily spent with Fornell. McGee stumbled upon a small pocket calendar and brought it over for Tony to compare.

"I'll have a look upstairs." McGee circled back through the kitchen to the stairs. He first entered the office, and booted up the computer. If he was lucky, Diane kept her phone synced with her computer and he could pull her whereabouts from there. As he waited on the computer, he peeked into Emily's room, the bathroom and then Diane's room. He wrinkled his nose when he peeked into the nightstand drawer and found several personal items.

Just before he was about to head back to the office, he decided to peek into the master bathroom. The room was a mess, the garbage over-flowing, one of the sinks on the double vanity had a steady drip. "Tony, come take a look at this."

"You find something?" Tony strode into the room a few minutes later. "Whoa, what a mess."

"I know." Tim nodded. "It's nothing like the rest of the house."

"Maybe she figures no one else will come in here, so she… what's that?" Tony pointed at a small pile of white powder and then pulled a glove from his pocket. "It looks… dusty. No, wait… look." Tony wiped his finger across the vanity and then brought it up to eye level. "What does that look like to you?"

McGee leaned in close. "Looks a little grainy. Like a pill that's been crushed."

Tony suddenly noticed a pill bottle half covered by a tissue. He grabbed the pill bottle and held it up for a closer look. "Holy shit."

"What?"

"Sinequan."

McGee gave him a blank look. "That means something?"

"Read the fine print, it's the brand name for doxepin hydrochloride."

"That's what… _oooh._"

"Go get the kit from the car; we need to get this to Abby. I'll call Gibbs." Tony dialed as McGee raced back to the car. Gibbs answered on the second ring with his standard gruff '_Gibbs'_. "Boss, we've got a problem."

* * *

Abby paced the squad room as she waited for Tony and McGee to arrive with the sample for her to test. Tony hadn't found any other prescription pill bottles in the bathroom, but they needed to be sure of what the white power was before they made any firm accusations. Rather than waste time to sign the chain of evidence, Abby grabbed Tim by the sleeve and pulled him down to the lab with her so she could get started right away. It wasn't under the sample had been loaded into her trusty Major Mass Spec that she finally signed the chain of evidence log.

"You really think _she _would do it?"

"I don't know, I heard it was a bit of a messy divorce."

"That was over ten years ago. Why would she suddenly…?"

"It doesn't make sense." Gibbs strode into the lab without warning. "Except for when we ran into her after dinner, I haven't spoken to her in years."

Abby launched herself at Gibbs, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Any news on Emily?"

"No," Gibbs shook his head and returned the hug before turning to face McGee. "Did you guys find anything else suspicious?"

"No, we can't legally bring in her computer unless we have evidence, so if this comes back a match, then I can bring in her computer and see what I can dig up."

"Good work. Where is DiNozzo?"

"He found the number for a few different doctors. He and Ziva are making some phone calls. The label on the pill bottle was torn, so we can't see who prescribed it or when. If we can figure that out, maybe we can get a few questions answered."

Gibbs nodded and looked back at Abby. "How long?"

"I just loaded it. It's not a blind search to find out what it is; I'm running a simple match. We should have results in maybe fifteen minutes, twenty at most."

"I'll be upstairs. Let me know when you find out."

"We will." Abby watched Gibbs leave before speaking again. "I can't decide if I'll be relieved or not to find out if Diane was behind this all. On the upside, when kids are kidnapped by a parent, they are more likely to be found alive than if kidnapped by a stranger."

"It'd be nice to put a close to both cases."

Abby paced for the next fourteen minutes until Major Mass Spec beeped. As they had thought, it was a crushed doxepin hydrochloride pill. The same medication Gibbs had been drugged with.

* * *

Abby rushed up to the squad room, a print of out the results in hand. "It's a match, Gibbs. The white stuff Tony found is doxepin hydrochloride."

Gibbs took the paper and glanced over it. "McGee, Ziva, DiNozzo, I want the three of you back at her house, get a warrant and go through everything. Abby, can you try and get a fix on Diane's cell phone?"

"Yes." Abby edged around Gibbs and sat at his desk, pulling up the programs needed. Her fingers moved furiously across the keyboard as she worked on locating Diane. "She's on the interstate. Heading north! Traffic is slow; she looks to be about 48 miles north of here."

Ziva, McGee and Tony piled into the elevator, and Gibbs moved behind Abby to get his badge, gun and jacket. "Keep an eye on her location for me. I'm going to pick up Fornell and have the FBI set up a road block. Let me know if anything changes."

"Be careful, Gibbs. She nearly killed you once; I don't want her to get the chance to try again."

"She won't," Gibbs leaned in for a kiss - a possessive kiss that left Abby breathless. "I gotta go, Abbs. I'll be back in a bit." He pressed his lips to her cheek. "Love you." He was gone before she could respond.

* * *

Fornell was in the car before Gibbs to come to a complete stop. "Drive."

For once Gibbs did was Fornell asked without questioning him first. He pressed his foot the gas pedal and peeled out of the school parking lot.

"What do you know?"

"DiNozzo found residue of doxepin hydrochloride, it's what was used to drug me. Abby has a fix on her cell phone, it's turned on and she's headed north. I don't know for sure that she has Emily, but it looks as though she could be on the run."

"It would make sense. Emily would have no problem getting in the car with her if she pulled up outside of school."

Gibbs nodded.

"If she did try to take her, I'm filing for full custody immediately. I won't let me daughter spend another day under her roof."

"If she's found guilty of drugging me, I don't think you'll have a problem."

"True." Fornell glanced over at the speedometer and winced at their slow speed once they hit rush hour. "I should have paid more attention. Em has been talking about Diane and how she's seemed different lately, spending lots of time on the phone with her doctor – all warning signs."

"You'd think we were divorced long enough that she'd focus the hate on you rather than me." Gibbs had had enough of the slow speed. He pulled a light from the glove box and reach out the window to place it on top of the car. With lights flashing, he pulled out onto the shoulder and sped past the rest of the cars.

"You didn't have to put the light on for my benefit. I know you don't usually bother to use it."

"I've got an FBI agent in my car. I might as well follow the law."

As they sped up the interstate, Gibbs pulled out his cell and hit speed dial to call Abby.

"Gibbs?"

"Abbs, you've still got a fix on her car?"

"Yeah, she's just past exit 114. Hold on, I'm adding your cell phone. I can tell how far away you are." Abby was quiet a moment as she waited for the program to locate Gibbs position. "Okay, I've got you. You're approximately 24 miles behind her."

"Okay, let me know when we're a mile behind her. I don't want to scare her with the lights. I want to get past her and then force her to stop."

"I will. Be safe."

Gibbs clicked his phone shut. "We're about 24 miles behind her, shouldn't be long."

"I'll get some people up ahead of her." Fornell pulled out his cell phone and dialed the FBI. "But I want to be the one to talk to her."

They drove on in silence, the adrenaline kicking in as they mentally sorted through their options. About twenty minutes later, Abby called back.

"You're about two miles behind her. She's been moving at a pretty steady pace. I've been trying to hack into to the DOT traffic cams to see if I can get an eye on her, but so far I've got nothing."

"Okay." Gibbs turned off the flashing lights, as he continued to make his way up the shoulder past the rest of the cars. "Call me if she exits the freeway."

"I will."

Gibbs hung up again. As they continued along the interstate, Fornell recognized Diane's car and Gibbs slowly maneuvered the car so that they were directly in front of her. She was wearing dark sunglasses and had a hat on. At first there was no sight of Emily, but then they saw movement in the back seat, and there was no doubt that Emily was in the car. Gibbs slowed to a complete stop causing Diane to stop as well. Traffic was moving slow enough that she didn't realize that she was being stopped for anything beside traffic until both Gibbs and Fornell jumped out of the car, with their guns in hand.

Two other cop cars managed to maneuver up alongside them. Diane looked panicked as they slowly approached the car. They approached the car cautiously and with a stroke of luck, they managed to jump out of the way as Diane stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward into the car Gibbs' had driven.

"Diane!" Fornell raised his gun. "Don't make this ugly."

Diane rolled down the window. "You're poisoning my daughter, turning her against me!"

"Diane," Fornell warned. "I'm not doing anything to hurt your relationship with Emily. Get out of the car, we can go talk this over."

"No. I'm getting tired of talking. It doesn't do any good. And he started it all, feeding you lies you were dumb enough to believe." Diane lifted her hand from her lap.

"Whoa. Don't do anything stupid." Fornell and Gibbs both backed up a step when Diane showed she had a gun. "Think of Emily, you don't want her to see anything."

"Emily is fine, aren't you honey?"

Gibbs couldn't hear what she said, but they heard Emily's voice from the back seat.

"Diane, come on. You aren't going anywhere. Hand over the gun, and we'll go talk and settle this." Gibbs started forward, hoping she would hand the gun out of the window.

"You think I'm dumb enough to think we can all sit down and work this out? Let me go." She waved the gun as she spoke.

"I can't let you do that, not with Emily in the car." Gibbs kept calm. "Why don't you let Emily out, and then I'll see what I can do."

"I'm not giving my girl to you. You can't replace the daughter you lost."

"Diane!" Fornell snapped, "let me see my daughter."

"She's not your daughter. You don't want her; you never had time for us. That will never change. You just want to keep her away from me."

"No Diane, that's not true. I'd never keep you from her; I just want to spend time with her too."

"Daddy!" Emily called from the back seat.

"It's okay babygirl. I'm right here." Fornell took a step toward the car.

"NO! You stay away from her!"

"You can't keep me from my daughter, Diane. You know that."

"I can and I will!" Diane pointed her gun at him again, her hand visibly shaking. "Leave us alone, Tobias."

"I can't do that, you know I can't."

"I can help you." Diane pulled the trigger.

As soon as Fornell went down, Gibbs fired his own weapon, putting a bullet into Diane's arm, causing her to drop the gun. He kicked it backwards toward the group of cops rushing in and then pulled open the back door, pulling Emily from the car.

"Daddy!" She screamed at the sight of her father on the cement.

At the sound of his daughter's voice, Fornell managed to push himself into a seated position. One of the local cops was at his side with a first aid kit, pressing a wad of gauze against his shoulder. "I'm alright, I'm alright."

Emily wriggled free from Gibbs and ran to her father. "Does it hurt daddy?"

"No, no. I'll be okay."

Gibbs glanced back at the car, where two officers had helped Diane to the ground and were tending to her wound as well. He kept himself in front of the scene, blocking Emily's view.

"Ambulances are on their way." Another cop stepped up beside Gibbs. "You part of the FBI?'

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Me? No, he is. I'm NCIS."

"What?"

Gibbs gave his best glare and the cop walked away.

* * *

Abby grabbed the phone as soon as it rang. "Gibbs? Is everything okay?"

"Ms. Sciuto? It's Vance. I just received a call from the FBI. Things got a little intense, and there was a shooting on the interstate. No fatalities, but everyone involved is being taken to Bethesda."

"Gibbs?"

"I wasn't given any names, but I thought you might want to meet them all there."

"Thank you!" Abby hung up on the director and grabbed her purse before racing to the elevator. Her stomach twisted with worry as she made the drive to Bethesda medical center. She parked and then rushed to the emergency room. "Agent Gibbs, I'm looking for Agent Gibbs."

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't see…"

"Agent Fornell?"

Abby spun in a circle, looking for anyone she recognized or anyone in police or FBI uniform. "There was a shooting on the interstate. I heard they were coming here."

"Oh," The nurse nodded. They should be here in about four minutes. We've got people meeting the ambulances in bay one. If you wait here, they should come through this way."

Abby paced in front of the nurse's station, her clunky boots echoing in the hallway. She heard the sirens as the ambulance approached and she tried not to cry as she worried over who was hurt and how bad. She saw Diane first as she was wheeled in and into an open room, she was awake and bitching about her two sorry excuses for ex-husbands.

Next it was Fornell that was wheeled in. He wasn't talking, but she could see his face and he was awake. "Fornell!" She rushed to his side and picked up his hand. "Did you find Emily?"

"Yeah. She's alright. Scared though, will you watch her?"

"Of course, where is she?"

"She should be coming in right behind me."

Abby looked down the hall and out the double doors in time to see Gibbs helping the little girl from the back of the ambulance. "I see her."

"Miss, we need to get him set up for a doctor."

"Okay." Abby gave his hand a quick squeeze and then started down the hall toward Gibbs and Emily. She fought to keep her emotions in check as she neared Gibbs and Emily. The little girl ran forward and wrapped her arms around Abby's waist in a tight hug. "Hey sweetie," Abby ran her fingers through the girls hair.

She looked over Gibbs, her eyes going wide at the sight of blood all over his shirt.

"No, it's not mine." He looked down at Emily hoping she would understand that it was Fornell's so he didn't have to say it in front of the girl.

"Oh."

"I'll see if I can get a clean top." Gibbs stepped close to her and gripped her arms, holding them at her side so she couldn't hug him and accidentally transfer Fornell's blood to her clothes. He leaned forward and kissed her, pulling away so that he could make eye contact before leaning in to kiss her again. "See if you can take her to see her Tobias real quick and then take her home."

"You're staying here?"

"I need to. I called Tony on the way here, and he's on his way over."

Abby knew better than to argue over a case. Technically Gibbs wasn't supposed to work the case since he was the victim of Diane's rage, but by bringing Tony in to officially run the case, Gibbs could work it from the background. Abby watched Gibbs walk toward an incoming group of cops, so she directed Emily back to the nurse's station.

"Tobias Fornell is her father, is there any way she can see him real quick before I take her home?"

"Let me check." The nurse disappeared into the room that Fornell had been wheeled into a few minutes before. She wasn't in long before she came back. "You can go in for a few minutes. It was a through and through. They'll stitch him up and keep him over-night."

Abby took Emily's hand and led her into the room. Fornell seemed to be resting comfortably and despite the large white gauze over his shoulder, he looked fine.

"Daddy!" Emily rushed forward.

"Hey babygirl," Fornell reached out and took Emily's hand. "I'm okay, don't worry okay? Abby is going to look after you okay?" He glanced up at Abby.

"Yeah, I'll take her home. I've got a wii and several games that we can play. Maybe we could order pizza for dinner?"

Emily glanced up at Abby. "Really?"

"Sure. I might even have ice cream in my freezer."

"Wow, it's like a party." Fornell smiled.

"Are you hurt badly, daddy?"

"No, sweetie. It's just a little scratch, but they want me to spend the night to give me some medicine so that it will heal super quick."

"Okay." Emily was eased by his answer.

"Well, we'd better get going." Abby took Emily's hand again and started toward the door. Emily exited first and Abby turned back. "Would you like me to call Sharon?"

"Please. You have her number?"

"I work for NCIS, I can get her number."

"It must be the building. Everyone who works there is always so damn cocky." Fornell rolled his eyes. "Tell her I'll be alright, and that I will call her tomorrow."

"I will. Take care, Fornell." Abby slipped out the door and walked Emily down the hall and out to her car. Abby called to check with McGee to see if it would be okay for Emily to go into her room and get her pj's, her favorite stuffed animal and a change of clothes for the next day. He agreed, and Abby put Diane's address into her GPS and drove Emily over. Ziva took Emily upstairs to her room and Abby stood in the middle of the living room with McGee as he sorted through a box of papers. She explained everything she knew, and they spoke in hushed voices in case Emily could hear them. When Ziva brought the girl back down, Abby took her back to the car and they stopped to pick up a pizza on the way back to Abby's apartment.

Emily asked a few times about how exactly the doctors would fix her dad, but she didn't once mention her mother. Abby was curious as to how much, exactly, she had seen, but she decided not to push it, in case the girl got upset. It would be easier for her to handle if her father was there to comfort her. They played wii, and watched a movie on the Disney channel before Emily fell asleep on the couch, curled around her stuffed puppy.

* * *

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, comments & suggestions!

* * *

As Abby began cleaning up the living room, there was a soft knock at the door. It wasn't his usual knock, but Abby knew it had to be Gibbs. She rushed to the door and opened it without pausing to look through the peep hole. The moment the door was open, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face against his neck. "_Gibbs!"_

"Hey," he hugged her tight and pressed his nose to her ear before pulling away. "Everything okay here?"

"Yeah, she fell asleep on the couch." Abby nodded to the sleeping girl. "I was just cleaning up and then I was going to put her in my bed."

"I'll move her, you put the pizza away." Gibbs pointed to the open pizza box on the coffee table.

Abby watched him lift the small girl and carry her down the hall to her bedroom. She then gathered up the remaining pizza and put it in the fridge. When Gibbs found her in the kitchen, she nodded at the coffee maker. "You want coffee?"

"No." He stepped past it, and pulled her against him. "I want you."

"I was so worried it was you, that you had been hurt." Abby pressed onto her toes and kissed him.

"I'm fine, Abbs. It's all over now. When I left, Diane was talking to Tony, telling him everything."

"Wasn't she hurt?"

"Yeah, but not seriously, they'll get her into surgery tonight at some point, and then she'll be brought in and questioned at NCIS."

Abby nuzzled his neck. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Me too." Gibbs pressed his lips to her forehead and then pulled her out to the living room. He sat on the couch and pulled her down next to him, and then pulled the large blanket from the back of the couch over them.

Abby leaned into him, kissing along his neck and jaw – any inch of skin she could reach.

Gibbs gripped her chin and tilted her face to his so that he could kiss her again - slow and deliberate.

Abby melted against him, her relief showing up in an over abundance of emotion as she struggled to keep the tears from falling.

As soon as he realized she was crying, he pulled her onto his lap and hugged her tight, silently enjoying the way she curled around him, maximizing their bodily contact. She sobbed, with her face pressed against his neck, as he ran a hand up and down her spine.

"I've got you, Abbs. Everything will be okay."

"I know." Abby sniffed and pulled away as the tears subsided, I just couldn't help myself. The past few weeks have been so… so scary, and I just…" she shrugged. "I just couldn't hold it in anymore."

"You don't need to hold it in for my sake."

"I know, I just… I'm not usually a sobbing mess."

"You're not a mess."

"Your shirt is." Abby pointed to where her tears had wet his shirt.

Gibbs let out a soft chuckle and pulled her in close again. Gibbs reached out and clicked off the light on the end table, and they sat quietly in the dark, only the sound of their breathing keeping them from complete silence.

"Abbs?"

"Yeah?"

"That night, when I was sick, I didn't think you were Shannon. I knew who you were, and I wanted you. You should know that."

"But you said…" Abby shook her head. "It, it doesn't matter, Gibbs. You were poisoned and… it's okay."

"I had seen her earlier. It was Ducky that put the two together, not me."

"I-"

"And the bruising? I need to know how that happened." His fingers traced over her ribs.

"Oh," Abby had forgotten that he had seen the bruise. "It's nothing. I was just a little clumsy-"

"Abby," Gibbs could tell when she was lying. "I'm remembering bits and pieces from when I was drugged. Did I… did I hurt you?"

"What? No, you didn't hurt me." Abby hugged herself closer to him.

"I pushed you?" Gibbs waited for an answer. "Abby?"

"You got up really fast from my chair, and I wasn't expecting it, so I sort of fell to the side, and…"

"I pushed you out of the way." It was still a bit of a blur, but he vaguely remembered pushing past her. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of having physically harmed her.

Abby could feel his whole body tensing as he confirmed it for himself that he had pushed her. "You didn't do it on purpose, Gibbs. It's okay, it didn't even hurt that much. I'm okay, really."

Gibbs took a deep, slow breath.

Abby cupped his face and made him look at her through the dark. "_You _didn't hurt me, Gibbs." She pressed a kiss against his lips, sighing happily when he kissed her back and she felt the tension drain from his body.

As her eyes grew heavy, they shifted so that they were lying side by side on the couch, snuggled up under the blanket, Abby's back pressed firmly to Gibbs' chest. "When this is all over," Abby yawned, "we're taking a day off, a whole day." She yawned again. "And I'm not letting you out of bed at all."

"I could live with that," Gibbs nuzzled the soft area of skin behind her ear.

"I hope so. You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not." Abby pulled his arm tighter around her waist.

"Sleep Abbs, I'll be here when you wake up." Gibbs pressed his lips to her ear. "Oh, and Abbs?"

"Hmm…?"

"I meant what I said earlier. I love you."

"I love you too." Abby closed her eyes and let sleep claim her. He wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

Abby woke to the sound of giggles the next morning. Before she opened her eyes she could tell she was alone on the couch, but judging by the smell of coffee, Gibbs hadn't gone far.

"I think she's waking up," Emily whispered.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Abby heard child-size feet race across the floor toward the kitchen. "Are the pancakes ready?"

"Mm hmm."

Abby opened her eyes in time to see Emily coming back to wake her up. "We made breakfast!"

"You did?" Abby pushed the blanket aside and stretched her arms up over her head. She followed Emily into the kitchen and toward the wonderful smell of pancakes, coffee and Gibbs. She wrapped her arms around Gibbs' middle and pressed her cheek to his back. "Morning."

"Sleep well?" Gibbs dished up three plates of pancakes – two plates with Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes and one plate with regular.

"Yeah. You?"

"Was a little crowded, but otherwise…"

"Hey!" Abby dug her fingers into his side, making him laugh. She pressed a quick kiss to the back of his neck and then stepped away. "Emily, would you like milk or juice with breakfast?"

"Milk, please."

Abby handed her a handful of napkins and urged her toward the table and then lowered her voice. "Have you called the hospital?"

Gibbs nodded. "He's fine. Sharon is picking him up this afternoon at one. I told him we'd drop Emily off at three."

"Diane?"

Gibbs peered around Abby to be sure that Emily wasn't close enough to hear. "I spoke to DiNozzo earlier, she'll be fine physically, but she's a mess. I guess she-" Gibbs stopped as Emily stepped into the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Very!"

"I see you two got a little creative." Abby pointed to the Mickey Mouse pancakes.

"It took a few tries. Been a long time since I've make Mickey Mouse pancakes."

Abby accepted her plate when Gibbs handed it to her, and then wrapped an arm around him. "I appreciate it."

They carried their plates to the table and Emily told Gibbs about the fun things that she and Abby had done the night before; playing wii, eating pizza and ice cream and watching her favorite movie.

"Maybe, if you ask super nicely, Gibbs will play wii with you while I clean up after breakfast. But I haven't gotten him to play with me yet, so you'll have to ask very, very nicely."

Emily's eyes lit up and she looked at Gibbs. "Uncle Gibbs? Would you pretty please play wii with me?"

"I…" Gibbs glanced at Abby and then back at Emily. "I… I don't know how to play. Maybe I'm better off watching you two play."

"It's super easy, I promise. I can teach you!"

"Plus, you cooked breakfast, so I should clean." Abby bat her eyelashes at him.

"Alright." It wasn't often that Gibbs let his guard down, but in front of Abby he didn't mind showing his softer side. "But I'm warning you, Emily. I play to win."

Emily shrieked with delight and pushed away from the table to run to the living room and switch on the wii.

"I guess I better go make good on my threat." Gibbs folded his napkin and went after the little girl.

Abby smiled as she watched Gibbs listen intently as Emily explained the basics of the games they were going to play – a collection of sports games. It wasn't often she saw Gibbs so relaxed, and she wondered if way back when, back when he had Shannon and Kelly, if that was how he was all the time. She wondered if he played games and chased them both around the house when they teased him. She watched a few minutes before returning her focus to the dirty dishes. The entire time she loaded the dishwasher she listened to Emily's giggles, and Gibbs' pretend curses. She dried her hands on the dish towel and went to see if she could join the fun.

"You guys sound like you're having too much fun out here."

"Abby! He's sooo bad, you have to play against him. You'll totally win."

"Is he?" Abby's eyes widened as she pretended to be surprised. "Well, how can I turn down a chance to beat the boss?"

Emily eagerly handed over her controller and flopped down on the couch to watch. "Come on, Abby. Girls rule!"

"I think I'm a little outnumbered, not sure if that's legal."

Abby won without much of a challenge and Gibbs pretended to pout and let Emily console him. "It's okay, Gibbs. You can't will them all." She patted his arm gently and then jumped off the couch to join Abby in front of the TV.

It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Gibbs drove Abby and Emily to Fornell's house. Sharon answered the door and Emily hugged her before rushing inside in search of her father.

"How is the miserable old bastard?"

"Gibbs!" Abby elbowed him in the stomach and held up a bag of Chinese food. "We brought some food for you guys."

"Come on in," Sharon waved them in and accepted the food from Abby.

They followed the sound of Emily's voice to the living room where Fornell was propped up against several pillows, him arm in a sling, with Emily was sitting cross-legged on the other end of the couch telling him about her time at Abby's. "…. And then Uncle Gibbs was sad because he kept losing."

"That true Jethro? You were sad?" Fornell looked at him with a smug little smile.

"She must be lying." Gibbs messed Emily's hair affectionately. "How're you?"

"A little sore, but fine." Fornell looked at his daughter. "Ziva dropped off stuff from mommy's house and put it in your room. Maybe you could go put it away? I bet Sharon would help you."

"Of course! Come on, Em." Sharon waited for Emily and then followed her up the stairs to her bedroom.

Fornell sat up a little straighter. "Has she mentioned Diane at all?"

"Not once." Abby shook her head. "How is she?"

"Diane? Physically she'll be fine. One of my agents spoke to her doctor and I guess mentally she's a wreck."

"She was married to you," Gibbs' shrugged.

"And you," Fornell countered.

Abby rolled her eyes at the both of them and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I guess she was doing alright on medication, and she must've gone off of it for whatever reason, and then things just didn't balance out right. We'll know more once he's had more time with her, and has her back on her appropriate medication."

"She… she won't be let off the hook, will she?" Abby reached out to grab Gibbs' arm. "I mean, she tried to kill him."

Fornell bit back the comment about the fact that Diane had tried to kill him too. "No. It depends on what the doctors say as to what will happen. Either way, she'll get the help she needs."

"That's good. What about Emily?"

"I've got the numbers for some people to contact. She's going to need to talk to someone about all of this. I spent the morning on the phone with a judge who over-turned the custody agreement to give me permanent full custody immediately. I've got agents going through everything in her room at Diane's to make sure she hasn't hidden anything in her room, and they'll then bring it over for her to keep here. Ziva brought a few things already."

"It'll take some time for her to settle into a new routine, but she'll be okay. If you need any help, or Emily wants to talk, you can always call me." Abby offered.

"I appreciate that. Sharon and I have talked about her moving in as well. I'm going to talk to Emily about it and see what she thinks. I don't want her to feel set aside by Sharon moving in, but maybe it would be good for another woman in the house."

"That's great! So things between you and Sharon are going well?"

"She didn't walk away after I was shot by my," he glanced at Gibbs, "our, crazy ex. That has to be a good sign, right?"

Gibbs laughed. "Yeah, yeah it is."

* * *

Tony flexed his fingers and then squeezed his hands into fists as he stood outside the interrogation room. With both Fornell and Gibbs victims of Diane's mental insecurities, the lead of the case had fallen to him. He would get to interrogate one of Gibbs' ex-wives. There was so much he could ask – if only he didn't value his life.

Diane looked frail when Tony entered; her arm was still in a sling because of being shot. She glanced up when he entered and gave a small nod of acknowledgement and waited quietly as he took a seat opposite her.

"Care to start from the beginning."

Diane looked up at him, her eyes looked empty. "My girl, I didn't want to lose my girl."

"Emily?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think you were going to lose Emily?"

"I…" She hung her head. "I was in a relationship, and… and it didn't work out. They never work out."

"Most people don't lose their custody because of a failed relationship. Emily was happy, wasn't she?"

"She was, I kept her busy with school and extra-curricular activities."

"Then why worry you were going to lose her?"

"Jethro… he was filling Tobias' head with lies. He's been doing that from the time that I married Tobias. It's why we split up in the first place. All of Jethro's lies."

"I'm still not getting the connection here."

Diane sighed. "He was filling Tobias' head with lies, and the more Tobias heard the more likely he was going to take Emily. He's seeing someone, and he thought that they could provide a better family life for Emily. They were going to take her away!"

"Did Tobias ever give you any reason to believe that he wanted to change your custody agreement?"

"No, not yet, but I could tell it was coming. With how much Emily was talking about his new girlfriend, and about Jethro and his girlfriend, that woman, Abby."

Tony tried to keep a straight face as he glanced back at the one-way mirror. He couldn't see into observation, but he knew that both Gibbs and Fornell were on the other side. "Agent Gibbs and his _girlfriend_ are what led you to believe that Fornell was going to take away your daughter?"

"It's all… the signs… they were there, and the more she talked about them… all of them… they were going to _take _her!" Diane yelled across the table at him.

"Okay, okay…" Tony held up his hands to show he would back off that topic. "Why don't you explain what you did to Agent Gibbs? Start from the very beginning."

"I just… I wanted him focused on other things, I figured that way he wouldn't focus on spreading lies about me."

"So you slashed his tire?"

Diane nodded. "And I put paint on his car. I figured it would keep him busy."

"And when that didn't work?"

"I… I had been on medication, but it wasn't working. So I stopped taking it. I figured it would make him a little sick, throw him off. I was always so confused when I was on it, didn't feel like myself."

"You hired Cheryl?"

Diane nodded. "It worked so seamlessly. I wasn't expecting her to get a job on the Navy Yard so quickly. And then, it worked… they were back to normal, focused on their case, and Tobias didn't have time to try and take Emily, but then…"

"Then..?"

"Jethro was better and Tobias wanted to take her."

"He just wanted his time back, the time he's always had with her."

"He was going to take her. I know he was! I don't regret what I did; I'd do anything for my baby!"

"You shot her father! You think that's going to ensure she stays with you?" Tony leaned back in his chair, wondering if she really thought she would get away with it."

"I know… I know." Diane hung her head. "Oh _God_, what did I do?"

Tony took it as his cue to leave. He slipped out of the door and motioned for an agent to keep watch of the door while he went next door. "Pretty much and open and shut case, right boss?"

"Think so," Gibbs nodded.

Fornell sighed. "Her doctor said she was fine on her medication and that she likely went off it for whatever reason, and that's when things went downhill." He left the room.

"So… your _girlfriend_, huh?"

Gibbs' hand connected with the back of Tony's head, just before he left the observation room.

* * *

Gibbs wasn't surprised to see Abby's car in front of his house when he pulled up after work. Ziva had taken her out to dinner to get away from NCIS and the case for a bit and Gibbs had stayed with Fornell and Tony to talk with Diane's doctor again.

He also wasn't surprised to find her already in bed. It wasn't late, but the last few days had been long and tiring and she muffled a yawn when she pulled back the covers on his side of the bed. "I need you."

"Be right there." He hung his jacket in the closet and folded his pants over the back of a chair in the corner of his room. He took a few minutes in the bathroom, and then tossed his t-shirt into the hamper before sliding under the covers.

The blankets were pulled up to Abby's chin and when he reached for her he was surprised to find his fingers in contact with bare skin. He lifted the blankets a few inches to look and his eyes sparkled at the sight of her naked body. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. "I suddenly feel overdressed for the occasion."

Abby grabbed a fist full of material of his boxers. "I'd have to agree."

Gibbs grinned at her and then pressed her back into the mattress. "Someone is eager tonight."

"I need you right now, Gibbs. I just… I need you." Abby worked his boxers off his hips and then used her feet to push them the rest of the way down his legs.

Gibbs pressed his face to her neck and moaned when he reached between them and found that she was already wet. "You get started without me, Abbs?"

"Nah, just thinking about you."

Gibbs groaned again and the thought of her getting wet just thinking about him made his cock twitch against her thigh. He grazed his teeth along the shell of her ear before nipping at her earlobe.

Abby reached for him, her hand sliding up and down his length a few times until he couldn't help but thrust into her hand. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him, pausing to let him align himself with her opening. She sank down over him, tossing her head back with a moan.

Gibbs gripped her hips, and was content to let her set the pace and take what she needed. It was only when he was a few moments away from release that he pushed his thumb to her clit to help her along. She collapsed over him as her orgasm ripped through her and he pushed into her twice more before shouting her name as he found his own release.

"Abbs?" He was still breathing heavily, but Abby had yet to move since collapsing over him and he needed to know that she was okay.

Instead of answering, Abby shook her head and then pressed her face to his neck.

"Take your time," Gibbs tightened his hold on her. "Take your time."

He didn't mean to fall asleep, but the next time Gibbs opened his eyes, light was streaming in through the curtains of his bedroom. Abby was still sprawled out over him, and he could feel the heat radiating from between her legs. He shifted beneath her and smiled when her arms tightened around him and she pressed her face to his neck the same way she had the night before.

"Don't want to get up yet."

"Didn't say you needed to get up, but maybe…" Gibbs traced his fingers down her spine, over her buttocks and along the back of her thigh. He pulled her knee up along his side and then slipped his fingers between her legs and smiled at the wet heat he found.

"Maybe what?" Abby purred.

Gibbs stroked her fingers against her softly. "Maybe today is the day we don't get out of bed?"

"Agent Gibbs," Abby lifted her head enough to smile at him. "That might be your best idea yet."

Gibbs spent the morning showing her over and over again just how much he really loved her. He took his time, exploring every inch of her body – tasting and touching her all over. Each time Abby tried to hurry him towards his own orgasm, he backed off, and slowly she learned to accept his attention and then when he was ready for his own release she let him take what he needed.

Abby was mush in his arms when he finally directed her towards the shower, and once he had her under the hot spray she leaned against him and allowed him to wash her from head to toe.

She felt as though she had a permanent smile on her face as he finally led her to the kitchen, despite the rumble of her stomach from not having had anything to eat since the night before. _Perfect,_ she thought to herself as Gibbs placed her in a boneless heap at his dining table. _This is perfect._

* * *

TBC…

Only one or two more chapters. If there is anything you'd like to see… now would be the time to say something!


	14. Chapter 14

(four months later)

"Emily!" Abby gave the girl a gentle tap to the back of her head.

"Hey! Only Uncle Gibbs can do that." Emily tried to pout, but she couldn't contain the giggle.

"Do you see him here? No, that's why I get to step in. No cheating!"

"I didn't _cheat!_" Emily's hands went to her hips.

Gibbs paused in the entryway to Abby's living room and smiled at the sight. Emily with her hands on her hips in mock defiance – a stance she had picked up from Abby. Emily had been spending time with her, a day or two a month, and the occasional evening ever since Fornell had been shot. Slowly, Abby had gotten the girl to open up about what she had seen happen, and how she felt about her mom. But today, Abby had Emily for a different reason.

Fornell had called Abby, and when she didn't answer, he called Gibbs. He had decided that Sharon would make a wonderful, permanent addition to his and Emily's lives and wanted the chance to ask her to marry him over a romantic dinner. He had already talked to Emily about it, and she had been beyond thrilled, but his reason to call was to ask if Abby could take Emily out to dinner and keep her entertained for a few hours while he asked.

Now, after dinner at her favorite pizza place, Abby had brought Emily back to her place to play wii and watch a movie.

"Uncle Gibbs!" The moment she noticed him, Emily rushed to him and threw herself into his arms (another thing she had picked up from Abby). "Abby said I was cheating!"

"Did she?" Gibbs pretended to look horrified that Abby would accuse her of cheating.

"She did!"

"Because she was!" Abby's hands went to her hips.

"Was not!"

"Well I'm glad that I had to stay late for the budget meeting. Sounds like the two of you have been… busy."

"You're here now, your turn to play." Abby offered him her wii remote.

Gibbs shook his head and glanced at his watch. "Time for Emily to head home, find out the damage."

Emily's smile dropped. "You think she said no?"

Gibbs smiled softly at her, and bent down on a knee so he was at her level. "Nah, I was just… teasing." He didn't exactly want to explain his fails at marriage.

"So you think she said yes?" Emily had grown close to Sharon over the past few months. She had moved in right away to help care for Fornell as he healed from his gunshot wound and to help care for Emily. She hadn't talked to Sharon much about Diane, instead saving those conversations for Abby, but she opened up about the rest of her life, and had helped Sharon to decorate Fornell's sparse living room to turn it into a home rather than just a house.

"Of course she said yes!" Abby interjected. "How could she say no?"

"She said yes. Your dad would've wanted you home sooner if she'd said no." He pulled the girl in for a hug and winked at Abby over Emily's head.

"Let's get going then!" Abby grabbed her jacket and then Emily's and hurried them toward the door.

* * *

"That was the cutest thing, ever." Abby slipped her hand into Gibbs' as they made their way down the front step of Fornell's house. Emily had pushed her way inside the moment Fornell had opened the door. Rushing past her father, she threw herself at Sharon to ask if she had said yes.

"Glad they're happy, all three of 'em."

"Me too."

"You need anything at your place, or are you good for the night?"

"I'm good." Abby smiled at him as he opened the car door for her.

Gibbs drove them back to his house and then walked hand-in-hand with Abby up the front steps. He hung her coat in the closet and then his own. He turned around expecting Abby to be within reach, but she was already collapsed on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table.

He double checked that the door was locked and then went to join her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Us."

"Us?" Gibbs didn't need to verbalize the 'uh oh' for Abby to hear it.

Abby wrapped an arm around his torso and snuggled closer. "Nothing bad." She smiled when she felt him let out a sigh of relief.

"Then what?"

"It's just that after watching Sharon and Fornell-" Abby burst into a fit of laughter at the look on Gibbs' face. "No, no… I'm not telling you I want a ring." She socked him lightly in the shoulder. "It's just that… everyone knows about he and Sharon, and I know they don't work together, but maybe, at some point, we could tell the team?"

"That what you want?" Gibbs tilted her chin so that she was looking at him.

"I don't know," Abby shrugged. "I mean, I know we decided to keep quiet when things first start, but at the same time… I want my friends to know that the reason I'm so happy, is you. But it's not a big deal, we don't have to."

"If that's what you want, we'll tell the team. And just because the team knows, doesn't mean we can flaunt our relationship at work."

"Maybe it was a silly idea, never mind. Forget I said something about it."

Gibbs wasn't going to let her drop it so easily – if she wanted to tell her friends, he wasn't going to stop her, but the way she pressed her face to his neck, pressing little kisses to his throat, made him keep his mouth shut. He let his hand drop down her back until he found the hem of her shirt and then slipped his fingers underneath to stroke her soft skin.

He was content to let her set the pace for wherever this was headed, and he couldn't help the soft moan when she nipped at the underside of his jaw. He helped her to get her knees under her, and then to straddle his lap, loving the heat from between her legs pressed against his groin. As she straddled his lap, her skirt was pressed higher, and he dropped his hands to her creamy white thighs, running his hands up and down as she kissed him everywhere, but his lips.

To say Abby was enthusiastic was an understatement, and Gibbs chuckled at the way she kissed his neck, nipped at his ear, and then finally kissed him –_really _kissed him. "We… we doing this _here?_" Her last kiss left him breathless.

"You gotta problem with that?"

"Nope." Gibbs urged her to press up on her knees so he could undo his zipper to release himself from the confines of his trousers.

Abby didn't need to be told twice what he wanted, and once his dick was freed from his pants she tried to guide herself over him. It wasn't as easy propped up on the couch, but after a moment or two of fumbling, Abby let out a contented sigh as Gibbs pushed up into her.

He held her close to his chest, his hands pushed up under the back of her shirt, his fingers splayed out over the cross tattoo covering her back. Abby nuzzled against his neck as she rocked her hips slowly, enjoying their connection.

Gibbs was the first to find himself grasping at the last shreds of control. "Come on Abbs," he urged.

"You in a rush?" Abby cupped his face in her hands and smiled softly at him.

Gibbs leaned in to kiss her and let his hands fall to her hips to press her down against him. Changing the angle slightly, Gibbs grinned against her lips when she gasped. He could tell that her control was fading quickly. He tried to touch her, to give her that last push that she needed, but Abby shook her head. "Not… not yet."

"Come on, Abbs. Let go… I've… I've got you. I love you." He held her close, and ignored the burn in his muscles as he pushed into her, snapping his hips up against hers frantically.

"Love you more." It only took a few moments before Abby tensed around him and then finally allowed her orgasm to rip through her.

Gibbs followed just seconds later, muting his moan against her shoulder.

They were silent for some time as their breathing slowed. Gibbs let out a quiet groan as he softened and then slipped from Abby's body.

"I can't move."

Gibbs' chuckled and stroked a hand through her hair. "I'm in no rush to move either, take your time."

Abby could only nod.

* * *

Gibbs left Abby down at the security check at NCIS to chat with the security agents per usual. She didn't always stop, but when he drove her in, she always did, so that they wouldn't be seen arriving in the squad room at the same time nearly every morning. As he rode the elevator alone, he realized that he was tired of pretending around the team. He had no intention of flaunting their relationship, and he knew she wouldn't either – though he suspected that she would throw it at Tony every now and again when he was acting childish.

He didn't particularly want the director to know, but since she didn't work directly for him, he wasn't her boss, there was nothing Vance could do. Everyone on his team was already at their desks when he strode toward his desk and he heard their chorus of "morning boss".

"Ziva, DiNozzo, McGee." He gave a little nod and found himself wondering what their reactions would be to finding out about his relationship with Abby. He was fairly certain both Tony and Ziva would find it amusing, and once the newness wore off he was sure Tony would stop talking about it – though he was sure there would be late-night phone calls from Tony, questioning her about their love-life. McGee, however, he was a bit uncertain about. McGee's previous relationship with Abby had ended years ago, and on a good note, but every-so-often he caught his agent watching her with a wistful look in his eye and he couldn't help but wonder if there were some feelings left over on McGee's part.

When the elevator dinged and Abby stepped out, Gibbs smiled at how genuinely happy she looked. He stood as she passed his desk and muttered something about going to see Ducky as he followed her to the back elevator. Once safely inside, Gibbs flipped the emergency switch and leaned back against the elevator wall.

"I thought you were going to see Ducky?" Abby gave an over-exaggerated wink and leaned back against the wall opposite him.

"I am. Was hoping you'd come with me."

"Oh?" Her smile faded and she stood a little straighter. "Is everything okay?"

"You want to tell your friends about us, and I think you should. So long as we don't catch a big case, you guys can take a little longer at lunch." He took a moment to take in the huge grin on her face. "I was hoping we could tell Duck first."

Rather than respond, Abby threw herself at him and hugged him tight. "Really?"

"Mmhmm."

"I mean," Abby settled back down and looked up at him, "I don't want you to feel like we _have_ to if you don't want to."

"I want to. It's time."

Abby was lightning fast as she pressed up on her toes to kiss him and then turned to hit the emergency switch. "What do you think Ducky will say?"

"That I'd better not break your heart."

* * *

Ducky stood before them, his arms crossed in front of his chest, a smile on his face. "I've been waiting for some time for this announcement, I'll have you know. But I'm happy for you. You both deserve to be happy."

Abby rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him in a big hug, nearly knocking him over. "You're really happy for us? Thanks Ducky! Alright, well, I need to get things fired up in my lab." She glanced at Gibbs, "So if we don't catch a case you said something about the team having a longer lunch…?"

"Sure."

"Yay!" Abby rushed forward to hug him and then pulled away with a sheepish smile. "I'll talk to you guys later."

Gibbs watched until Abby was in the elevator and then glanced back at his friend. "So?"

"Do I need to say it?"

Gibbs gave a boyish smile. "Nah, I know. And I have no intentions of hurting her. Ever."

"Good."

* * *

"I told you." Tony elbowed McGee. "The boss and Abby…" he elbowed him again, "I told you they've got a little something –something going on." The two were walking behind Ziva and Abby as they headed back to NCIS after their lunch break.

"You knew nothing," McGee rolled his eyes.

"You've got to wonder, you know… I know he's _Gibbs_ but, he is a little older, you know? Guess he can still…"

"I can hear you back there, _Mr. DiNozzo._" Abby glanced back at the two guys over her shoulder. "And yes. He can." She could help but laugh at the shade of red that spread over Tony's cheeks.

Tony glared at McGee as his former probie held in a laugh. McGee wasn't all smiles though, and Tony suspected that he may have still been holding on to some residual feelings for the forensic scientist. Rather than say something insulting, he gave McGee's should a squeeze before hurrying to catch up to the two women leading. "So, you and the boss, huh? Who would've thought?"

"Everything okay?" Gibbs looked up at Abby as she perched on the side of his desk and the rest of the agents moved to their desks. They hadn't caught any new cases, so he had let them go on a longer lunch and had enjoyed their reactions as they had tried to guess why Abby insisted on lunch down the street.

"Yep. Perfect!" Abby grinned at him. "Though Tony is rather curious about our sex life."

Tony gaped at Abby's overt statement. "I… I… Boss, I didn't ask-"

"Did too!" Abby stuck out her tongue at him. "You said-"

"_DiNozzo._" Gibbs didn't need to say anything else. Tony understood. Clearly.

"Sorry Boss, didn't mean to. I'll try not to ask any, you know, personal questions."

"_Try_ not?"

"Well, you know. Accidents boss, they happen."

* * *

The End.


End file.
